Break In
by MadamofMadness
Summary: Ereri. Eren was always happy living as a merman in the ocean, but the surface had always fascinated him. Blue skies, water crashing into the rocks, and even the curious looking humans. Though humans were feared among merpeople, Eren couldn't help but find them interesting. But what happens when he is seen by a certain steel eyed human? Humans suddenly don't seem all that dangerous.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine.**

 **This is my first story and I've always loved merEren so I figured why not write my own story. Constructive criticism is welcome wholeheartedly. That being said...ta-daa! My first story.**

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Eren leaned back on his hands, ignoring the jagged edges of the rock pressing into his palms. The sun felt wonderful on his wet skin and scales. Eren's favorite past time was coming up on the rocks to lay in the sunshine. His mother and father didn't really like him up above the ocean. They feared humans, for good reason. The humans don't like what they don't understand. They often injured merpeople, mistaking them for big fish. The humans were also known for their disregard to the ocean. They were always polluting it with thick oil and trash. Eren was always freeing his fellow sea creatures from the floating debris. But no matter how much his parents voiced their dislike of Eren going to the surface, he couldn't stop himself. He was too curious and too stubborn headed to listen.

The young merman opened his eyes to the sky. The sky was one of Eren's favorite things to look at up here. It felt so open and free, especially since he was raised in the cold confined depths of the ocean. Don't get him wrong, Eren loved his ocean. There were so many colors and creatures to see and so many caverns and ravines to explore and play in. However, something about the surface world always fascinated him. There was a certain charm to it that kept dragging him back.

Eren looked down at his tail pensively. The sun glinted beautifully off of his blue-green scales. He loved his tail. It's color was rare among merpeople as was his flowing silk-like caudal fin. These traits were only typically found in royalty. Eren wasn't a prince though. He came from a common family from the outskirts of a small village. So his tail and caudal fin were always gawked at when they went into the village. He poked a blue webbed finger at his tail and wondered what it would be like to move around on those split scaleless tails the humans called legs. The differences between merpeople and humans were curious. Humans didn't have tails or fins. Their fingers were separated unlike the merpeoples' webbed ones and the humans didn't have glittering scales crawling up their forearms.

What struck Eren as most odd about the humans was their apparent lack of gills. From a distance, Eren had observed the humans swimming in the ocean but he couldn't find anything resembling a gill on their necks. How did they breathe under water? Did they not breathe at all when submerged? He had seen once when a small boy had went under for a long time and his parents were freaking out and came after him. When they got him out they child was lifeless. The father proceeded to kiss the child and push on the child's chest until water came out of his mouth. How strange, Eren had thought. They must not be able to breathe under the waves and this strange kissing ritual must be how they cure one who stayed under too long.

Eren flopped onto his back with a huff. Humans were confusing and weird. A splash and grunting interrupted his cloud gazing and thoughts about humans.

"Eren! There you are!" Said merman looked over. His friend Armin was attempting to use his feeble arms to pull himself up onto the rock Eren was sunbathing on.

Eren smiled fondly and reached over to help pull Armin up onto the rock. Armin's golden tail flopped gracelessly next to Eren's blue green one.

Armin had been his friend since the day they could swim without assistance from their mothers. Armin 's tail was smaller than Eren's with a sharp stiff fin.

"Mikasa... is going into a frenzy... looking for you," Armin panted out once he remember to close his gills and use his nose to breathe. "She's interrogating everyone in the village."

"I've only been gone a short while, why is she into a frenzy already?" Eren asked. The sun hadn't moved far in the sky since he'd been up here, signaling that he'd only been up here for an hour at most.

"...This is Mikasa we're talking about. You know...obsessive about Eren Mikasa."

Eren grimace. Ever since Eren had saved Mikasa from those sharks when they were little, she had clung to him swearing to protect him with her life. She had followed him everywhere and watched over him despite Eren's protests. He loved Mikasa, he really did. She was like a sister to him. But he really didn't appreciate the way she would treat him like a child.

"Well, I guess we should go save the village from her interrogation spree. The last time she did that no one would let me leave the village so she wouldn't put them through her harsh interrogations. I couldn't come up here for an entire month," Eren sighed. Armin nodded in agreement and slipped into the ocean.

Eren took a deep breath of salty air and looked at the sky again as a white bird flew over head, trying to gain a few more moments of peace before having to face Mikasa's wrath.

"C'mon Leviiii! I can't pull myself up there as easily as you, help me up!"

Eren snapped his head around at the voice. His ocean green eyes met steely gray ones. Eren was frozen. He was seen. His blood was running cold through his veins. How could Eren not have heard the man climbing onto the rock? He must have been focusing too much on the bird. The man stood there, seemingly as frozen as Eren was. Neither of them moved. They only stared. One frozen in fear, the other frozen in stunned curiosity.

"Leviiiiii!"

A woman's voice called over the edge of the tall rock. Eren glanced from the raven haired man to the voice and back again. He felt his fear easing away slowly, giving way to curiosity.

Without breaking eye contact, the man opened his mouth and a silky deep voice slipped past his lips, "Wait down there for a second, shitty four eyes!"

"Wha-...why?!" the voice retorted

"Because I said to!" The man had a commanding presence about him Eren observed. The voice huffed and grew silent.

The man, who Eren had deduced was named Levi, took a step forward. Eren jerked back, his fear returning, and hissed in warning, flashing his pointed teeth that were perfect for tearing into flesh.

Levi held his hands up in a peaceful gesture and took another hesitant step forward. Eren tensed, ready to dive into the ocean at the first sign of hostility. He knew he should have dove in the second he heard the woman's voice. But curiosity had gotten the better of him. Plus, despite the man's stong and commanding presence, he seemed gentle and kind.

"Eren, I thought you followed...me..." Armin's sentence trailed off as he peeked over the rock.

Levi froze his advance. He was only standing about seven feet from Eren.

Eren, his protective instincts taking over, grabbed his friend by the arm and dove into the ocean, ignoring the human's plea to wait.

Eren opened his gills, feeling the water rush into them as he swam heard and fast away from the surface and away from the man with the steely gaze.


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back, beautiful people. I'm sorry if these first couple of chapters are boring and slow. It will (hopefully) pick up later.**

"What the hell, Eren?!" Armin screeched in his ear. "How could you be so careless? You know there are laws against this, right? You could have been hurt...or killed! Mikasa is going to flip when she finds out!"

"No!" Eren halted, turning around to face Armin. "Mikasa will not hear a word of this. No one will. That human will stay between you and me!" Eren didn't need or want this blown out of proportion. Nothing happened. The man didn't try to kill or capture him. There was only mutual curiosity.

"But Eren, what if he comes looking for us? We'll be captured and experimented on. What if-" Eren cut off Armin's rant.

"There is no reason to stress out Armin. He didn't even try to hurt me. It looked like he just wanted to talk. For all you know we could have learned more about the humans."

"Eren. It's dangerous to interact with them. We have our reasons for staying hidden. Why we want to remain nothing but a myth to them. I refuse to let one curious merman to ruin our peaceful existence. From now on, both me and Mikasa are making sure you stay down here."

"Armin! Please, you're overreacting!" Eren raised his voice and a few silver fish scattered away from them.

"And what did you do to cause Armin to 'overreact'?" A cold voice came from behind him.

Eren froze for the second time that day and slowly turned around. Mikasa was floating there with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. Shit.

"Eren let a human see him!" Armin blurted out.

"WHAT?!" Mikasa grabbed Eren by the shoulders and looked him up and down with her dark eyes. "What did they do to you? Are you hurt? How could you let a human see you?!"

"Mikasa! Calm down, please! I'm fine. He didn't threaten me in anyway. There's nothing to worry about," Eren pried Mikasa's hands off.

"Eren I don't think you understand the severity of the situation. We have to tell your paren-"

"And what would that do , Mikasa? It's not like the human knows where we went. He could look for years and never even find a hint of where we live," Eren was tired of arguing. Why is he defending a human he doesn't even know? There was just something about his steely eyes that drew Eren in. A certain kindness that laid hidden deep behind the cold exterior. He was fascinating and Eren wanted to learn more about him. He knew he wouldn't convince Mikasa of the human's innocence...

Unless she saw for herself. Eren paused, ignoring whatever Mikasa was saying about the "filthy humans." Eren swam past Armin back towards the surface wordlessly. He knew they would follow as they continued their chastising.

"Eren? Eren! Wait! You're not going back there!" Armin tried to stop him, but Eren's larger tail propelled him faster, easily dodging Armin's reaching hands.

Eren was approaching the surface. He was so close...he could barely make out a figure standing on his he felt a strong hand grab his tail and roughly pull him back.

Mikasa silently tugged him away from the rock towards the depths of the ocean.

"Mikasa! Mikasa wait!" Eren struggled, but Mikasa kept pulling his tail, having no trouble moving them through the water with her powerful tail. "Let me prove they aren't that bad!"

Mikasa halted and snapped around, her deep red tail nearly smacking Eren in the face."You've already broken so many laws today, Eren. Did you forget? Are you that stupid? Let me reeducate you on the rules. If you are caught anywhere above the water, you can and will be exiled for the safety of the village. I guarantee that since you were seen by fucking humans, they will not hesitate to throw you out. You've been lucky so far not being caught up there, but this has gone too far. I know you love the surface, but I'm doing this for your own good." She continued to drag him down into a trench towards his home.

 **Levi's POV**

"Hey! Wait!" Too late. The merman had already jumped into the water, dragging the blond with him.

Levi rushed to the edge of the rock after them. He managed to catch a gold tail flick into the ocean and two figures diving out of sight.

Levi had heard recent rumors of a merperson frequenting this rock. That's why this rock earned the nick name "mermaid rock" and also why Hanji and Levi decided to come here to investigate the stupid rumor. _'Well I guess the rumor isn't so stupid now...'_ Levi thought.

"Hff...Ugh...Whew. I did it!" Hanji cheered as she flopped onto the jagged rock. "What are you doing, Levi?" She jumped up to her feet quickly and came over to see why Levi was looking into the water.

"Did you see a mermaid?! Is that why you're over here? I swear if you saw one and you aren't telling me, I will castrate you before the company gets a hold of you." Hanji babbled annoyingly, staring Levi down.

"Shut the fuck up, shitty glasses. No, I didn't see one and I would like to see you try coming anywhere near my genitalia," Levi replied, glaring at her icily from the side of his eye.

"Aww...Could you imagine finding a mermaid? We haven't been able to catch anything for quite a while. I'm getting bored of rerunning tests on the old subjects." Hanji tailed off and began daydreaming about mermaids in her lab tank.

Levi looked back to the ocean. Honestly, Levi had never seem anything quite as beautiful as the merman and the thought of bringing the creature back to the lab revolted him. Just imagining those sparkling green eyes and exquisite blue-green scales behind glass inside the dull gray lab was sickening. Those eyes were wild and free and to have them caged...it would be a crime.

Levi and Hanji worked in a small top secret government lab that investigates, captures, and studies mythological creatures. It's a tough job. Finding the creatures is difficult because of their extreme elusiveness. Levi's main job was to investigate and capture whereas his partner Hanji specialized in experimenting. Levi knew that if anyone found out that he had seen a living breathing merperson and purposely didn't bring the creature in...he would be fired and hunted down. He had seen it before. One of the woman in the lab refused to bring in a unicorn. She was fired for insubordination and assassinated. The thought sent shivers down Levi's spine. It was one thing to be executed, at least you knew exactly when you were going to die. But being hunted down and the paranoia that came with knowing you could be assassinated at any minute was unnerving. The employees of the company know too much to be allowed to leave and live a normal life.

"Well nothing is here, Levi. We can try again another day. I have to rerun some tests on a phoenix." Hanji turned and jumped recklessly off the rock. Levi nodded and went to follow, but before he turned around, he thought he saw a flash of blue-green in the water.

 _'I'll be back soon'_ Levi thought as he followed Hanji back to the lab.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, beautiful people! Thanks you so much for the kind reviews, favorites, and follows, they really help keep my lazy self writing.**

 **Eren's POV**

"Hello, kids! Where have you all been?" Carla Jaeger's voice greeted the trio warmly as they swam into the small rock house the Jaegers called home. Their village was comprised of ancient ruins that rested next to a deep trench. Year round, the merpeople steadily made the ruins more and more comfortable to live in. It was a hell of a lot safer than living in the caves they used to live in. Eren's home, however, happened to be just inside the trench on a low ledge. His parents had picked this isolated house because Eren's father was a doctor and would sometimes his work on patients involved blood. His parents had decided on this house just in case sharks or other predators had been attracted to the small of blood. They hadn't had a problem with predators yet, but if they did, they had a small room in the back that was cut into the wall of the trench that they could escape to.

"Hi, mom! We've just been exploring is all," Eren greeted his mother, hoping his ear fin wasn't twitching like it does when he lies.

"Is that so..." Carla swam closer to get a better look at her son. Eren's eyes widened a tiny fraction when his mother smirked and reached to tug his left ear. " **This** says otherwise. What are you not telling me Eren?"

Eren remained silent, trying to think of a way to get out of telling his mother what happened.

"Well if you won't tell me, maybe Armin will," She turned her motherly gaze upon Armin. "Armin?" Eren was shaking his head vigorously at Armin behind his mothers back.

Looking between Eren's shaking head and Carla's intense gaze, Armin finall answered. "We wanted to go see what the surface looked like...," Armin muttered pathetically. He hated lying to someone as sweet as Carla.

Carla sighed and shook her head. "I thought as much. Eren!" Her gaze sharpened and turned to Eren. "I thought you would have been smarter than this. Now. Do not lie to me. Were you seen? This is important, Eren. Please. Be honest with me."

Eren stayed silent and shifted his eyes down in shame, answering his mother's question wordlessly.

"How many?"

Eren looked up at his mother again. She was fuming. Her teeth were clenched and her face was pink from anger.

"How many of those...things saw you?"

"One," Eren's voice was small and nervous as he twitched and fiddled with his hands. "Just one. He didn't do anything, I swear."

Carla had her arms crossed and her fingers tapped as the wheels were turning in her head. She took a claming breath before speaking.

"Mikasa, you and Armin go home now. I have serious issues I need to discuss with Eren."

Mikasa looked hesitant to leave me in the wrath of my mother. But decided not to anger her further and obeyed, pulling Armin out of the house and up to the main village.

"We'll have to tell our leader."

Eren gasped. This was bad. "Mom, please can't we just keep this quiet. I'm 18 now. He'll exile me!"

"Eren this is for our overall safety as a species. Besides, Leader Pixis is a fair man. With someone as young as you are and it only being one human that has seen you, he will probably let you off easier. But you are an adult now, Eren. You have to learn the consequences for your actions." His mother's gaze softened as she took in Eren's broken expression. She swam over and embraced him. "Everything will be alright. Even if you are exiled, we can still go way out of the village territory and see you if we have permission. Mikasa and Armin too if they would like."

Eren sighed in defeat as his mother let him go. She was right. Like she always was. He had heard that not every merperson who was exiled was gone for good. The lightest sentence he had heard about though was a five year exile. Just so Leader Pixis could be sure the merperson wasn't being tracked somehow.

Eren swam to the entrance of his house. "Let's get this over with. The sooner we deal with this, the sooner I can stop worrying."

His mother nodded and grabbed his hand comfortingly and pulled him along. Her powerful light brown tail propelling them forward. What would the exile life be like?Eren thought as they swam towards the largest structure in the village. He would have to remain at least 15 leagues away from the village. He would have to find a place to hide from predators and a consistent food source. Eren kept adding to the list of things he'd have to do, making him tune out all of the talking between his mother's voice and a male's voice.

"Does that sound fair to you, Eren?"

Eren snapped his head up at someone talking to him. "Huh?"

Leader Pixis was floating in front of him with his arms crossed. "You need to pay attention better, boy, if you're going to survive. I asked if the punishment of a 2 year land exile sounded fair."

"L-land exile?" Eren stuttered. What the hell had he missed when he zoned out?

"We need a way to test out an experiment. In the case of an emergency, we need to be able to blend with humans so we aren't hunted into extinction. Of course, The serum your father and I have developed needs testing. The serum is designed to make us look human for two years and be able to live on land. However, in case we need to go back to the ocean, touch of salt water will turn us back until we are completely dry. Or so we hope. That's why we need to test it and have someone gather information on human life. Grisha has already recommended you because of your infatuation with the surface. What a better time to test it than now? What do you say, Eren? This could save our species one day." Leader Pixis stared Eren down. It was so much to take in. Living on land? Eren could deal with trying to find somewhere to dwell in the ocean, but on land? He had no idea how things worked up there. But...if it was for his family's well being, Armin and Mikasa's well being, and the well being of his entire species...He had to do it.

Eren nodded his head shakily, earning a small proud grin from his leader. "Well done, Eren. Say your good byes tonight. I'll give you more information in the morning before your father gives you the serum." Leader Pixis nodded and clapped Eren on the shoulder before swimming back in to one of the building's many rooms.

What had he gotten himself into? Living with humans...He didn't know how to go about this. Eren didn't sleep well that night. His dreams were filled with giant humans and screams.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, beautiful people! Once again, thank you for the reviews. They all made me smile. I'm happy to be getting reactions out of my writing. Especially with it being my first story. They honestly keep me typing. I noticed people mentioning being happy that I'm not following** _ **The Little Mermaid.**_ **Although I am a HUGE Disney freak (got to work at WDW and everything), I personally hate reading exact clones to the movies so I actively avoid making this story into a clone.**

 **Also I'm sorry there's not much Levi yet, but have patience. He's here now. I really want to finish this story for you all before school starts back up because I know I won't have as much time to work on it once it does. So expect quickish updates (especially since I get excited over reviews). My plan is to make longer chapters. Right now they float around 1200 words. I'm hoping to make it around 1800-2000 words instead. But anywho...sorry for the long note. You guys just make me happy:)**

 **Eren's POV**

Eren and Armin floated before his parents, Armin's grandfather, Leader Pixis, and Mikasa. After hearing the entire story and finding out Armin had been spotted too, Leader Pixis gave Armin the option to either join Eren on land for two years or be exiled for 5 years and remain underwater. Armin chose to follow Eren. So there they floated before the small group, mentally preparing to be injected with a foreign substance.

Eren's body was trembling from his head to his caudal fin. The warm sea water he had grown so used to felt like the ice waters from way up north near the huge glaciers. The only home he had ever known and he was leaving it to live among the strange humans. Eren's body shook even more at the thought of the humans. Were they mean? Would he be able to find someone to help him stand on his own two feet(literally)? Eren clenched his webbed hands and clenched his sharp teeth. He felt so betrayed by everyone. He felt like it was a huge set up just so his father could test his stupid experiment... That's all he was, wasn't he? A stupid test fish...

"Eren..." His mother gently swam over to him, reaching out to embrace him. Eren looked up sharply and glared at her, stopping her movements. She retracted her arms and brought her hands over her heart. She looked ashamed. _'As she should be,'_ Eren thought. As he looked across all of their faces, he started to feel his fear subsiding and anger setting in. Every single one of these people betrayed him. If only Armin hadn't told Mikasa. If only Mikasa hadn't forced him to go home to face his mother. If only his mother hadn't pressured Armin and drug Eren to Pixis. He wouldn't be here right now if not for them. Just because of one stupid human. Eren began to feel contempt for the human with hair resembling squid ink. Why'd he have to see Eren? Would Eren see him again?

That thought froze Eren. He shouldn't want to see the man who had gotten him into this mess again. But on the other hand...That same man was the only one who Eren even remotely knew on the surface. And Eren knew he wasn't all that threatening.

"Armin. Eren. Anything to say before you two leave? You won't be down here for 2 years," Leader Pixis motioned to Eren and Armin as Grisha pulled out two small needles that looked like they were fashioned from a spiny sea creature and found glass bottles from his seaweed pouch. Eren wondered briefly if they had to go above the water to put that purple liquid in there.

"I would like to apologize for my actions. And grandpa...I-I'm sorry. So sorry..."Armin surged forward and hugged his grandfather who awkwardly hugged back and muttered a forgiveness into Armin's ear. If Armin could was crying, you couldn't tell under the water, but Eren was sure he was.

"And Eren? What about you?" Pixis asked as Armin swam back over next to Eren.

Eren took a deep breath to attempt to reel in his anger.

"I want to say that I hope you're happy with what you guys are doing. My own parents willingly sending me among humans. The very thing all merpeople fear..." Eren's fists clenched tighter. He shot a glare to his father and spat, "I hope you're happy using you're using your own fucking son as a test fish."

Grisha's controlled expression shifted slightly to shock at Eren's language, but said nothing in his own defense. Grisha merely floated there, the needles in his hands.

"If that's all then let's get this over with." Pixis nodded to Grisha and Grisha swam forward.

"NO!" Mikasa surged forward, slamming Eren away from Grisha. Eren _oof_ ed on impact with the force. "I'm sorry, Eren. I can't let them send you away from me. You need me there to protect you." She whirled around to Grisha. "Please. Send me too!"

"Get the fuck off Mikasa! No! You aren't coming with us. I don't need you anymore, Mikasa! I can make it on my own. And you should have thought about me being sent away before you and Armin ratted me out!" Eren shoved her off a little harshly. Mikasa seemed slightly offended, but her determination still burned bright. She swam over to Grisha.

"Please, Mr. Jaeger...I have to go with him," Mikasa was, surprisingly, outright begging Eren's father. Mikasa never begged.

"I'm sorry, Mikasa. I only have these two vials with me and one at the lab that I need to recreate the liquid," Grisha reasoned with Mikasa, who looked defeated for a moment before her determination set in again.

"Then make a new one as soon as you can. I hav-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH MIKASA!" Eren yelled at her, trying to make her back off. His tail twitched in agitation. "You don't have to babysit me. I'll see you in two years. It's not that long. Just take care of my mom and Armin's grandpa, ok?"

Mikasa looked like she wanted to cry at Eren outburst, but she calmed down and backed off. She swam over to Carla's side and hung her head down and clenched her fists at her side.

"Alright then...You first, Eren," Grisha came closer and Eren's heart began to race. This was it...Eren scrunched his eyes closed as he felt his father prick a non scaly part of his arm. At first he didn't feel anything. Then he felt hot. Like he was boiling on the inside. It burned so bad. He could hear screaming. Was that his own voice? He couldn't tell. Everything was boiling. Eren grabbed his head as he bumped into what he presumed was Armin who was also screaming and writhing in pain. The pain became unbearable and everything went black as he passed out.

 **Levi's POV**

"Come on, Levi! I wanna check that rock again. Pleasseeee! I have a good feeling about tonight!" Hanji was pulling Levi by the hand out of their work place and towards the beach where the sun was setting over the water.

"Let go of me, four eyes! I have no idea where that disgusting hand has been!" Levi jerked his hand away from his overly excited partner and rubbed it on a handkerchief from his pocket.

"Ohhh don't be so paranoid! I only did work on the hippocampus. He's not that dirty of a creature."

Levi had grown quite fond of the hippocampus that he had captured. He would have turned a blind eye to the creature if Erwin hadn't been with him on that particular outing. It had the upper body of a black thoroughbred and the lower body of a large fish with bright blue gleaming scales. The thing he loved most about the creature though was its eyes. The fiery wild determined look that shined in them as it tried to escape Levi. Even though Levi had been the one to capture it, it seemed like the hippocampus took a preference to Levi over anyone else. Almost like it had a respect for Levi for being able to capture it. Capturing it had been no easy feat.

"Help me up," Hanji demanded as they approached the large rock from the day before. Levi suddenly felt nervous. What if he was back? If Hanji saw him, Levi would be forced to capture the beautiful merman. _'Please don't be there,'_ Levi thought as he lifted Hanji up. Why was he nervous about a damn creature being up there?

"Huh?! Levi hurry up here. You've got to see this!" Hanji called as she scrambled over the top. Shit. Shitshitshit.

Levi climbed the rock easily and quickly (perks of being small and strong). He saw what Hanji was talking about.

"What the fuck..." Levi muttered as he approached to naked and unconscious bodies that laid face down five feet apart on the part of the rock furthest from the ocean. Levi immediately recognized the brown mop of hair. Levi glanced down at where the large fish fin should be. Where was his beautiful fin? Why did he have legs?

Levi leaned down and turned over the body with the chocolate hair. He pressed his finger to the side of the brunette's neck to check for a pulse. There. Faint but still a pulse. Levi sat back and examined the body for injuries as Hanji did the same for the blond who Levi recognized as the second merman that had come to retrieve the first. _What happened to them?_ Levi wondered.

He leaned in to inspect the legs of the brunette stranger. As he did, a particular large wave hit the rocks and a small droplet of water landed on the leg closest to Levi. He noticed that under the droplet the skin had turned into the green blue color that Levi recognized as the color of this particular man's fin. Levi reached out hesitantly and wiped off the water for a better look, but as soon as he did the skin returned to normal.

"What should we do? We can't just leave them here. It'll be night soon," Hanji spoke up once she deemed the blonde boy unharmed. "I only have room for one at my place."

Levi nodded. "I can house this one if you can take that one for tonight. We can figure something out in the morning."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? They might freak out if they wake up in an unknown environment alone. Are you sure you don't have enough room for both?"

Levi scratched the back of his head in thought. "I suppose they both could fit in my bed and I can sleep on the couch..." Levi cringed at the thought of other people using his bed. He sighed and hefted the skinny naked brunette onto his back, unfazed by the nudity. They were scientists after all."Help me get the blond to my place. We'll have to go the back streets to avoid people since we don't have anything to cover them up with."

Levi made his way down the rock carefully and helped Hanji get down without dropping the unconscious blond. They made their way down the dark sidestreets to Levi's home.

 _'This is going to be interesting,'_ Levi thought as he opened his door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, beautiful people! I don't know what was going on with the reviews not showing up, but they are up now. I didn't even do anything so I don't know what that was about. I know I said quickish updates but I got distracted with binge watching a whole bunch of old horror films (heh, sorry). I also meant to get this out sooner so I could start the next chapter sooner because I'm going to be busy this weekend with my sister. I don't like to write chapters in advance because I like hearing what you guys have to say. So if you have any suggestions that you would like to see in the story I'll see what I can do for you. I already have ideas for a Halloween chapter but it won't come til much later sadly :(. But enough rambling!**

 **Eren's POV**

"AHH!" _Thump. CRASH._

Eren sat up straight, woken up by a horrifyingly loud crash. His heart was racing. Where the fuck was he? He was sitting on some weird fluffy rock inside a square room with light gray walls. He looked over to where he heard the crash and found Armin laying in the floor among shards of thick black ceramic, a canvas tube, and small shards of glass. His eyes were wide open in panic and his legs looked painfully squished under his body. Wait. LEGS?! Eren ripped the blanket off of him and there they were. Two long sun kissed legs in the place where his beautiful blue-green tail should be. He touched the smooth skin of his legs curiously. His eyes widened as he noticed his scaly blue-green arms were replaced with the same tan skin that was on his legs and there was no webbing in between his fingers. There was also an odd growth in between his legs. _'What the fuck is that?'_ Eren wondered. He was terrified of his own body. This body wasn't his. His body was beautiful with blue-green scales adorning it. It wasn't this. This body had too much skin.

He was starting to panic. Eren looked frantically around the room again. He had to get out of here. The room was too gray, too small. He tried his hand at getting out of the bed and simply crashed to the floor exactly as Armin had.

"What the fuck is going on?!" A short man slammed open the door to the room with a bang. His hair was messy from a rough night's sleep and he had small bags under his steel colored eyes. The man, Eren had remembered as being called Levi, stood in the doorway, taking in the two bodies and the broken lamp sprawled on the floor. He seemed to have a constant glare in his eyes. He wasn't a morning person Eren guessed.

Levi finally sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Haven't found your land legs yet, have you, shitty brats?"

"You're that guy! The one from that day on the rock! I think I remember you being called...Levi. Right?" Eren tried to rise from the floor. He made it to his knees, using the fluffy bed as support.

Levi nodded and stepped fully into the room."I am. And as I recall, the blond coconut head called you Eren. Am I correct?"

Eren nodded and glared up at the man. This was the bastard that got them in to this mess. Eren heard Armin struggle back on to the bed with his arms.

"Y-you haven't told anyone about us, have you?" Armin asked hesitantly.

"What's your name, kid?" Levi turned his glare to Armin, who squeaked out his name. "Well, Armin. If I had told anyone about you, you two wouldn't be in the comfort of my home. You'd be in a shitty tank in a shitty lab." Levi crossed his arms. And looked back to Eren. He paused for a slight, barely noticeable second when he looked into Eren's eyes.

"Now, as much as I like you naked and on your knees, brat, let's find clothes and teach you to use those legs."

Eren felt blood rush to his cheeks and looked down at his nakedness. He didn't really understand what the man had said, only that it did not feel appropriate. And he never had to deal with clothes before...

"Here." A pile of clothes smacked Eren in the face and another pile landed on the bed near Armin. "Put these on and wait for me here, I have to make a phone call." With that said, Levi left the room, shutting the door behind him.

 **Levi's POV**

Levi shut the door behind him and sighed. He stood in the hallway for a moment. He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose those fucking eyes were going to be the death of him...

Levi let out a tired breath of air. His insomnia had finally let him sleep two hours ago only to be woken up by a crash coming from his room. When he had looked in and found the lamp shattered on the floor, it took all his willpower not to yell at Armin.

Shaking his head as he heard thumps coming from his room (probably from the two brats trying to figure out clothing) he walked down the hall and whipped out his phone to call Hanji.

"Gooooood morniiingg, sunshiiine!" Levi pulled the phone away from his ear when Hanji picked up the phone. She was way too damn energetic for it to 7 in the morning.

"Fucking hell, Hanji..."Levi growled as he flopped on the couch, putting the phone back to his ear.

"I take it the two nudey boys are awake finally? How long has it been since we found them? Two days? Did you talk to them?" Hanji started rattling a series of questions with no space to reply.

"Dammit, shitty glasses! One question at a time. I talked to them only briefly and gave them clothes," Levi was developing headache and it was growing at the sound of Hanji's voice.

"Alright, alright, alright. When can I come over? I want to talk to them."

Levi sighed. "Just come over for lunch. Give me a few damn hours to wake up."

"Okay, Mr. Grumpy!" With that said, Levi hung up abruptly on her good bye. Hopefully that gave him enough time to help the two creatures in his bedroom to find their land legs.

Levi went back to his room. Upon opening the door, his eyes slightly widened in surprise as he found to two standing upright and fully clothed. Though they were holding on to each other's arms and were wobbling dangerously and the gray sweat pants he had thrown to Eren were put on backwards, it was a start. _'Maybe I should text shitty glasses to bring over some pants for Eren..."_ Levi thought. Eren had about three inches of ankle showing. Damn tall brat.

After shooting Hanji a quick text to bring a couple of pairs of pants for Eren, he faced the two brats.

"Let go of each other," Levi commanded, looking at them with authority. Eren and Armin looked at each other and looked back at Levi. Armin's bright blue eyes looked afraid and hesitant while Eren's ocean colored ones looked at Levi with bright determination.

Slowly, the boys lets each other go. Armin wobbled a bit but stayed upright nonetheless. Eren however...He managed to stay upright for a few short seconds, but got overly excited that he was standing and went to take a small step toward Levi but ended up face down on the floor.

"Ughhhhh..." Eren groaned and Levi rolled his eyes. Just when he thought Eren was going to give up and just lay there, said brat pushed him self up with his arms and slowly stood back up. Levi had to admit. He admired Eren's determination.

"Good work. Now on to walking." Levi walked forward and grabbed Eren by the hands and looked him in the eyes. Their color was mesmerizing. Especially when he was this close to them. It was almost as if this brat held the ocean in his eyes. Levi could have sworn they rippled like water. He fought off a small blush as he realized he had been staring a little to long. He noticed Eren's cheeks started to turn the faintest pinks.

"Put your right foot forward."

 **Eren's POV**

They had been practicing walking all morning. Levi made them walk up and down the hallway until they no longer needed the wall for support. Armin had caught on really quick and was able to walk by himself in less than 2 hours and had only fallen onto his butt once. Eren was supporting numerous bruises on his new legs and arms. He had tried to walk without the wall the first time down the hall. That wasn't a smart idea.

Now they were sitting on a white couch watching Levi scrub at the walls where they had left marks with their hands. A gentle thumping filled the silence as the bed sheets were being dried in a machine.

"Eren," Armin spoke up softly. Eren looked down to his friend. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Really, really sorry. If I had never said anything to your mother, we wouldn't be here right now." Armin was looking down and twisting his new fingers nervously.

It was so odd to see Armin without his usual golden color. The only gold Eren could find on Armin now was three very faint streaks on each side of his neck where his gills should be. Eren sported the same marks on his neck only his were a tad more noticeable because his were a gentle blue-green color. Eren ran a finger over the blue marks on the left side of his neck. The skin there was a little more rough than the tan skin. The small marks were the only remainder of their undersea life.

Eren sigh heavily. "It's alright, Armin. You know I can't stay mad at you. I'm just glad you're here with me instead of being by myself." Eren shot his friend a comforting smile.

All of a sudden the door behind them slammed open, causing Eren to jump off the couch and face the intruder. A woman with brown hair and glasses stood in the doorway with a bag held in her hand and a scary expression on her face as she stared him down.

"Ahhh! You two are so cute!~" She rushed forward suddenly and Eren stumbled back and fell over on to his backside, adding to the bruises that were already there.

"Hanji! You're scaring them." Levi appeared in the room with freshly folded bedsheets and a bored expression on his face. "You're also early. I told you lunch. It's only 11."

"Eh. It's close enough! I just got so excited," Hanji said as she stepped closer to Eren who had managed to stand back up. "My name is Hanji Zoe." She held out her hand. Eren recognized her voice as the one from that day.

"Eren Jaeger," he replied simply and looked at her out stretched hand. Was he supposed to take it? He decided to try. He mimicked her actions and put his hand in hers and she shook it up and down enthusiastically. Eren sighed in relief that he didn't look like a fool for once.

"And you?" she turned her gaze onto Armin who was still seated on the couch, but had twisted around.

"I-I'm Armin Arlert."

"It's nice to finally meet you guys. Man, you guys were out for two whole days. We were starting to get worried about you two."

"Two days?!" Eren's eyes widened. No wonder his stomach had been growling at him.

"Mhm. And that was just from when we found you. There's no telling how long you had been on that rock. Levi! Have you fed these poor souls yet? I can hear their stomachs yelling at me!" Hanji yelled at Levi, who had disappeared down the hall with the bed sheets. With no response, Hanji rolled her eyes and snapped back to Eren, "OH! Eren. I have something for you. It looks like your pants are a little too short...and backwards..? Anyway these should fit you better. We're about the same height." She thrust the plastic bag she was holding into Eren's hands. "Go change and then we'll go get some food." Eren was pushed into the bathroom.

After he was changed into a pair of tight jeans, he went back out and saw the three of them waiting for him near the door.

"Put these on," Levi handed him a pair of shoes. Eren took the objects and looked at the curiously. He had seen humans wear these on their feet. So Eren leaned down, careful to keep his balance, and put them on. He smiled as he leaned up without falling over, proud of his accomplishment. That earned an amused huff of air from Levi and a weird look from Hanji who quickly wiped it off her face.

"What would guys like to eat?" Hanji asked as they walked out the door.

"Fish!" Armin and Eren both replied at the same time. They were both practically drooling at the thought of sinking their teeth into some fish. Come to think of it...Eren ran his tongue across his teeth. His teeth were a lot flatter than he remembered. They were no longer the sharp points that could easily tear into fish.

Levi spoke up. "I know a place close to here that sells good fish." With that said Levi took the lead and they began their trek towards the restaurant.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, beautiful people! I'm back from my sister's, yay! Thank you for the review and welcome new followers. I haven't decided who to put Armin with in this story and I don't really ship him hardcore with a specific person, so if anyone has any preferences, just let me know and I can do a majority rule.**

 **Eren's POV**

Eren decided he really didn't like clothes. The sun was beating down harshly on the small group as the walked down the side walk. At first, Eren was excited to walk down the street and had been taking in all the sounds, sights, and smells of the town. But the more they walked, the sweatier he became and the more his clothes began sticking to him. It was all extremely uncomfortable. His shirt was slowly becoming wet and heavy with sweat, his jeans felt tight and uncomfortable, and the shoes on his feet felt heavy and clunky. Why did humans wear all this?

Eren looked over to Armin. Armin was pulling his shirt away from his body with a frustrated look on his face. It looks like Armin felt the same about clothes.

"Are we almost there?" Eren groaned as he felt a drop of sweat roll down his spine. He shuddered at how gross it felt.

"Oi! Stop your whining, brat. It's just a bit further," Levi replied, glancing behind him at the two miserable teens. Eren sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them back up, Hanji's face was close to his neck. He let out an embarrassing squeak and stumbled back into Armin, knocking him onto the concrete.

"Shit! Sorry, Armin!" Eren offered a hand to help Armin to stand.

"It's fine," Armin rubbed his backside when he was back on his feet.

"Oi, why are you scaring the brats, Hanji?" Levi had stopped and turned around to face the group.

"I just noticed these weird blue markings on Eren's neck," Hanji stepped up to Armin to examine his neck too. "He has some too. Only a light gold color. What are these?" Eren watched up as the reached a hand to touch the markings on Armin's neck. Armin stiffened and pulled away from the intrusive hand. Eren jumped slightly as he turned and found Levi right next to him.

"I noticed them when you two were unconscious. For once, I agree with shitty glasses over there. They are interesting.." Levi reached out a hand and gently stroked a finger down one of the markings on the right side of Eren's neck. Levi's hand was surprisingly cool against his skin. Eren blushed under the intense gaze and his breath hitched as Levi's finger ran up a different marking. Eren pulled away and clamped a hand over the markings.

"Are they some sort of tribal tattoo thing? Ohhh how exciting! Where are you guys from?" Hanji started asking questions excitedly.

Eren gave a small smile and replied. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that. We came from..." Eren trailed off. Shit. What was he supposed to say?!

"We came from an island in the middle of the ocean!" Armin supplied when he noticed Eren's mini freak out.

"That explains a lot. Why you two were naked and what not. A wild islander, huh? You guys aren't the violent type are you?" Hanji had and excited glint in her eyes.

"N-no. Of course not," Armin answered. Levi began to walk down the street again. Eren noticed and walked faster to get away from Hanji's questioning. Eren ended up walking beside Levi with Armin and Hanji behind them as Hanji began asking Armin questions which Armin smoothly lied to her about where we were from.

"Eren." Levi spoke quietly so only Eren could hear. Eren looked over to Levi who had a dead serious look on his face. "Whatever you do...do NOT let Hanji found out what you are. You got it? It would mean disaster for the both of us. I don't know about you, but I damn well like being alive. If she finds out the truth behind you and Armin, I will be executed and you and Armin will be in a lab. Understand?" Levi gave him a hard look and waited for a reply.

"O-of course, Levi. I had no intention of telling her. But why would you be executed if she knew?" Eren knew he could easily end up a test subject if anyone found out, but he was bewildered at the thought of Levi being killed.

"Let's just say...We work for a shitty secret organization that values its scientific findings more than the people that are employed there," Levi replied quietly, a solemn look on his face. "I can tell you more later. Not here. There are too many ears out here"

Eren nodded. How bad can this organization be? From the subtle look on Levi's face, the answer is pretty bad...

"We're here." Levi halted abruptly and gestured to a small sea side diner.

Hanji screeched loudly. "Ohhh! I love it here! The view is amazing!"

Levi held the door open as they filed in. Unusual smells assaulted Eren's nose. They weren't bad smells, but he definitely had never smelled anything like it.

The small group found an empty table near a large window that overlooked the water and sat down in the booths. Levi and Hanji on one side with Eren across from Levi and Armin in the last spot.

"Hi, there! Can I take your orders?" A young girl with brown hair came over to their table with a pad over paper and a pen.

"Four waters and four fish and chips, please!" Hanji ordered for them all.

The young waitress nodded and scribbled the order on her notepad. "Alright, then. I'll get that started for you. My name is Sasha so if you guys need anything just holler." With a smile, she turned and went to the back.

"Tch. Who said you could order for me, shitty glasses?" Levi was giving Hanji an irritated look.

Hanji smiled big and laughed. "I know you well enough to know what you like. I've had plenty of time to observe your likes and dislikes. For example: You say your favorite color is black, but I know that it's actually sapphire blue. You're afraid of Chihuahuas and think they are the spawn of Satan. And I can tell you've taken a special interest in Eren despite having only known him for less than a day." Hanji leaned back in her seat with a satisfied look on her face. Levi clenched his fists and shot a deadly glare at Hanji that honestly scared Eren but Levi said nothing in his defense. Eren blushed lightly. What did Hanji mean by 'taken a special interest'?

"What's a Chihuahua?" Armin asked innocently, breaking up the tense silence.

Hanji giggled. "It's a small dog with big eyes, sharp teeth, and a bad attitude."

Levi huffed uncharacteristically like a child and grumbled something that sounded like spawns of Satan.

"Here you go guys!" Sasha reappeared, balance the four plates and four glasses on a tray. It could have been the lighting, but it looked like she was drooling and restraining herself from devouring their food. She set the food down and walked away with a loud growling in her stomach.

Eren looked down at the human food. This wasn't what he was thinking of when he said he wanted fish. He poked a finger and the crispy gold fish filet and jerked it back when it burned his finger. He looked up to see Hanji digging in with a fork and Levi was looking at Eren with an amused expression on his face. Eren decided to try to imitate Hanji by picking up the pronged utensil and bringing a piece of fish to his mouth. It wasn't bad tasting after you got past the burning temperature of the food.

They sat in the booth eating while Hanji was spouting fish facts to Armin, who looked slightly uncomfortable. Eren sighed looked out the window to the ocean. He missed home already. He missed swimming around and exploring new caverns and messing with octopuses with Armin and Mikasa. Eren's throat burned and his eyes watered slightly. How could he have let this happen? Sure he could blame it on Armin, Mikasa, his mother, his father, or Leader Pixis, but it was his own fault that had gotten Armin and himself in trouble. He knew better than to explore the surface where the humans lived. It was all his damn fault. Eren sniffled quietly and tried to reign in his emotions.

"Oi...brat. You okay?" Levi lightly nudged Eren with his foot under the table and spoke softly so as not to attract Hanji's attention as she continued to ramble on about ocean facts to Armin.

Eren looked at Levi, really taking in his appearance. Levi's appearance was completely opposite to Eren's who was tan, tall, and bright eyed. Levi's black hair was shining in the sun that was beating in. He had flawless pale skin that contrasted nicely with his black hair. He had strong youthful features that didn't quite match the look in his eyes. Though his face was young, his eyes were old. Like he was wise way beyond his years. Eren wondered briefly what Levi had been through to make them that way. This man was one big mystery that was waiting to be unraveled and Eren was determined to figure Levi out.

"I'm okay. I just...miss it. I guess." Eren responded. Levi nodded, already knowing what Eren meant and didn't say anything further. It was dangerous to talk about Eren's home out here in public, especially with Hanji sitting right there.

"Are you going to finish that?" Hanji looked at Eren's abandoned fish and chips greedily.

"I'm full. You go ahead." Eren slid the plate over to Hanji who gave a delighted whoop.

After they had eaten, Hanji suggested that they go down to the beach and soak up the sun's rays. Eren was nervous about getting too close to the ocean in fear of outing himself, but Hanji didn't really give them a choice. So here they sat in the beating afternoon sun and getting sand all over their clothes. Levi didn't look very happy about the situation.

"Someone come swim with me!" Hanji jumped up and took off her shirt suddenly.

"Keep your clothes on, dammit!" Levi scolded.

"Oh, please. A swimsuit is just glorified underwear," Hanji huffed as she took off her pants, leaving her in her bra and undies. Eren looked around the beach. Hanji was right. Most of the people around here were wearing similar clothing.

Eren was suddenly hoisted off his feet and was being dragged down towards the water. "Swim with me, Eren!"

"NO! Nononononono." Eren began to struggle in Hanji's tight grip. "No, Hanji! Please, I don't swim!" He looked back at Armin's horrified face. Eren pleaded with him to help. But it wasn't Armin that stood up to save Eren.

"Let the brat go shitty glasses!" Levi had stood up and jogged down the beach. He reached the two just in time to snatch Eren away from Hanji. They had gotten all the way down to where wet sand met dry sand. Eren sighed in relief and backed away a few steps, just to be safe.

"Aww, but Leviii..." Hanji pouted. "I don't wanna swim alone."

Levi sighed in defeated. "If I swim with you, shitty glasses, will you leave the damn brat alone?" Hanji nodded excitedly and grunted an affirmative. Eren could have hugged Levi for sacrificing himself for Eren. "Fine. Hold these." Levi turned to Eren and took off his shirt and pants them to him. Eren's face turned tomato red as he ogled Levi body. The man was extremely well built. Though Levi was small, his muscles were very well defined. It made Eren a little self-conscious...

Eren's eyes flicked back up to Levi who actually gave Eren a confident wink and a smirk before following Hanji into the water. What the hell was that? He could figure Levi out. One minute he's serious and unemotional and the next he's flirty and playful. It frustrated him to no end.

Eren walked back to Armin while he thought about how attractive Levi was and how he would look as a merman. Would he have gray scales? Maybe blue? Either one would look dead sexy on him. Eren blushed harder and shook his head. He really shouldn't be having those sorts of thoughts about a man he barely knew. But damn Levi was attractive.

"Are you alright, Eren? You didn't touch the water did you? Why is your face all red?" Armin looked at Eren with worried eyes.

"I'm fine, Armin. We're still safe. Levi went swimming with Hanji so she would let me go. I'm just a little warm." Eren stripped off his shirt as if to emphasize the hot weather. It wasn't a total lie. Eren was drenched with sweat.

"Good. I'm glad Levi is here to protect us. I don't think we would have made it a single day without him."Armin sighed with relief and settled back down in the sand with Eren and they watched as Hanji splashed Levi in the face while cackling like a madwoman. That is until Levi shoved her head underwater while her arms flailed wildly in the air.

Eren laughed at the scene softly. Maybe living on the surface won't be so bad after all...


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, beautiful people! Thanks for the input on my Armin problem :) Sorry if this chapter is sort of lame, kinda hit a writer's block with this one and sorry if there are numerous mistakes. I was tired while proofreading. Also being 5'3" I completely understand Levi's height problems in this chapter.**

 **Levi's POV**

"Dammit!" Levi cursed and glared at the offending pillow the was perched on top of a box that was on the top shelf of his bedroom closet. Hanji had bid the trio good bye after about two hours at the beach with promises of seeing them tomorrow. Not that Levi had a choice. He had work tomorrow. Right now, though, he was attempting to get his guests pillows and blankets to use because there was no way he was sleeping on the couch again.

Levi gave another jump trying to get the damned pillow. He missed. Why the fuck was he so vertically challenged?! He stepped back and examined the closet for the best way to get the pillow down without asking for help. He was much too prideful for that.

He'd have to climb up. He reached up and grabbed the metal rod his clothes were hung on and put his foot on a box he had in there for storage and hoisted himself up. It was an awkward position, but he could reach.

As he reached a hand up towards the pillow, a voice startled him. "You know, you could have just asked for help, right?" Eren leaned against the closet doorframe. Levi slipped on the box and he fell to the ground along with some shirts that had been on the rod. How did he not hear the brat come in? He literally just learned to walk today. Shouldn't he be stumbling and bumping into things instead of walking like a damn ninja?

"Woah! You okay?" Eren rushed by Levi's side and helped pull him to his feet. He pulled too hard and Levi bumped into his warm firm chest causing Eren to stagger a little, but he managed to keep his footing. "Sorry. You were a lot lighter than I thought you would be. You're so small..." Eren smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Tch. I'm not small, shitty brat," Levi retorted as he glared menacingly up into those ocean colored eyes. To be honest, Levi thought he would have been more angry at the comment, but something about those brat's eyes were soothing.

"Alright, alright. Whatever you say..." Eren had leaned down carefully and was picking up some of the clothing that had fallen when Levi crashed to the ground. Levi was extremely tempted to shove the unstable boy onto the ground, but decided against it. He was a mature adult after all..

Levi sighed and grabbed a couple blankets from a shelf the was beneath the pillows. All of a sudden, he felt a warm body against his back as Eren reached up and snagged a couple of pillows that Levi had been after before.

"Oi! Personal space, brat!" Levi turned to glare at Eren who had retreated to the closet doorway with the pillows.

"I was just helping," Eren whined as he hugged the pillows to his chest. Damn brat acting adorable..

"Just go back to the living room. You get the floor tonight." Eren rolled his eyes like the shitty brat he was and scurried away.

Eren was going to be a handful, Levi could already tell that much right now. He grabbed a couple more blankets and walked back to the living room where the two creatures were sitting on the couch, each hugging a pillow, where Eren was relaying Levi's fall to Armin.

"Tch. Keep it up and you're sleeping on the floor every night," Levi interrupted Eren's story. He tossed the boys the blankets and watched as they spread the thickest one on the floor and sat in their respective "beds." Armin would be sleeping on the couch tonight and Eren would be on the floor next to the coffee table.

"Now, if you need anything else..you can wait until morning. Don't bother me while I'm sleeping." Levi turned to leave.

"Wait!" Armin's voice made Levi halt in his tracks. He turned back to face them.

"I just wanted to say thank you for helping us so much," Armin said with Eren nodding in agreement.

Eren pitched in. "Seriously, without you, we wouldn't have been able to survive even this long on our own. You're incredible, Levi." Eren ended his sentence with a sheepish smile.

Levi couldn't help but asking. "How did you guys end up here anyway?" He took a seat on the couch, waiting for a response.

Armin and Eren looked at one another hesitantly before Eren sighed heavily and looked down at his hands. Levi briefly wondered how weird it was to suddenly have different hands than what he grew up with.

"It was all my fault..." Eren began quietly. "I got careless. I shouldn't have been up on that rock. Our kind has strict laws against ever coming up to the surface. I personally thought it was stupid that we are biologically built to be able to breathe up here and we aren't even allowed to be up here. So I began visiting that rock. I fell in love with the sky so I kept coming back just to feel the sun on my face, but I guess I visited so much that I got reckless and I didn't even hear you coming..."

"It's not all your fault, Eren. I ratted you out," Armin spoke up quietly with a guilty expression. Eren shook his head.

"No, I shouldn't have been up there in the first place," Eren responded then continued. "After a series of events, our leader found out that I had been seen by the one thing that we fear most...Humans." Levi nodded his head in understanding. The merpeople were right to fear his species. He had seen too many horrible experiments to not agree with the merpeople. "Anyway, the usual punishment for this is five years of exile far away from the village and normally we remain underwater. But my father and our leader came up with a serum that they thought would allow us to become human and what a better time to test it when your own son breaks the law." Eren let out a humorless laugh.

Levi noticed that Eren had begun touching the faint rough blue markings on the right side of his neck as he told his story. Levi began to feel sorry for the two brats sitting in front of him. Sure, Levi hadn't had the best of childhoods what with being raised by his uncle most of his life, but his uncle had never experimented on him or thrust him into a completely different world where he was forced to live among the beings he feared most.

"Well, you know what happens after that. You found us and blah blah blah," Eren's voice became bright sounding again as if he was trying to lighten the mood after such a depressing story. How could this kid stay so upbeat all the time?

"So you guys are to be up here for five years?" Levi questioned.

Armin shook his head. "The serum only works for two years. So that's how long he have to remain up here. We can go into the ocean, but we'll be mermen again. We have to completely dry before we change back to our human selves. It's sort of just in case of emergency where we have to hade in the ocean. So we best avoid the ocean unless we want to get caught."

Levi stayed silent for a moment, taking it all in before speaking up. "As I told Eren before...Under any circumstances, you are NOT to tell anyone what you are. Especially not Hanji."

"You mentioned that earlier. Hanji seems pretty nice to me. Albeit a bit crazy..." Eren trailed off.

"Oh she's nice enough. She's a very caring person I regret to admit. But she's a full fledged scientist who examines beings like you two brats."

Armin spoke up. "That explains all those questions she kept asking me...But Levi, how do you know Hanji?"

Might as well tell them the truth now. Hiding it from them will only make things worse. Levi paused as he thought his words out carefully so as not to freak them out to much. He couldn't figure out a way to sugar coat it (his brain didn't come with the sugar coating filter) so he proceeded cautiously. "We work in a secretive organization that focuses on capturing and learning about creatures that are considered as myths and legends. I normally focusing on investigation and capturing. I take what I find to Hanji and she runs experiments and reports her findings to our boss."

The room fell silent as the two boys thought over what he said. "Why didn't you capture me?" Eren spoke up. Levi looked over to Eren. He noted the mixed emotions in those beautiful colored eyes and he began the feel himself drowning in them he he tried to figure out the emotions.

"Levi?" Eren asked confused by the staring. Levi shook his head, breaking the eye contact that was suffocating him. He couldn't really say why he had spared the brat. It just seemed wrong to lock him up in a tank.

"I don't know, kid..." Levi couldn't tell the creature that he had found him too beautiful to lock up.

"How can we trust you then?" Armin questioned, scooting the tiniest bit away from Levi.

"What choice do you have, coconut? Who else is going to help two brats like you?" Levi stood up and stretched a little bit. The lack of sleep and the eventful day was catching up with him. "Go to bed. We've discussed the important stuff for now everything else can be learned later. I won't be here when you get up. Help your self to any food that you don't have to cook, don't make a mess, and don't go anywhere." He flicked the lights off and plunged the room into darkness as he made his way to his room blindly. He flopped onto his bed and looked at the clock. 12:30a.m. At least he could get 5 hours of sleep before he had to get ready for work in the morning...


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi, everyone! The time has come. I go off to school tomorrow D: I don't plan on stopping the updates though. I'm still going to see this story to the end and I have more ideas for different stories that I really want to write, but I know if I start those I won't finish this. So one story at a time. Also don't get the wrong idea. I love Erwin but I needed to use someone as an antagonist and he was sort of perfect :/**

 **Eren's POV**

Over the next month, the trio had settled into a normal routine. Armin and Eren wake up every day with Levi already gone. They ate breakfast and sat around the house, attempting to find various ways to entertain themselves until Levi's return. Armin, after learning that the humans and merpeople had the same letters even in writing, normally had his nose in a book. He had already read though most of Levi's books. After exhausting day time television, Eren had taken it upon himself to be useful and clean Levi's already perfectly clean home. Levi seemed to appreciate Eren's cleaning efforts, even if they weren't up to Levi's standards. But he was improving. Eren couldn't stop smiling the day when Levi had complimented his improvement in cleaning.

Levi, on the other hand, would wake up and leave for work early in the morning and come home tired and exhausted around 11 o'clock at night, 8 o'clock on the rare lucky days that he didn't need to go investigate/retrieve. Most days he would merely grunt a greeting before retiring to his room. But on good days he would stay and chat with the two boys for a little while. Eren loved those days. He loved talking to Levi and trying to figure out what was behind those seemingly emotionless eyes. Levi, Eren had noticed, had built a near impenetrable wall to hide his thoughts and feelings. But Eren was slowly noticing small cracks in the wall. It was subtle, but every now and again, he could see small flickers of emotions as they talked about various topics. For instance, when Eren gave talked about his life in the ocean, he could see a flicker of excitement and wonder in Levi's steely eyes. And when he tried to get information about Levi's work, Eren could detect subtle regret and guilt so Eren tried to avoid talking to Levi about work. He couldn't stand seeing the guilt and sadness in the cracks in the wall.

What Eren loved even more than Levi's early days, were the weekends. Levi didn't work on the weekends. They didn't do much, mostly just stock up on food and other necessities for the week and Levi would teach him and Armin something new. Today, Levi was trying to teach them how to finally use the stove.

"Understand?" Levi finished his explanation of the various knobs for the burners and the buttons to turn on the oven.

"Hm?" Shit Eren hadn't been listening. He had been too focused on the strange blue flames on the stove top. Levi sighed with annoyance.

"Tch, shitty brat. Do you want to keep living off microwave dinners during the week?" Levi reached out and turned a knob on the appliance, extinguishing the blue flames.

"I'm sorry, Levi. One more time. I promise I won't get distracted this time," Eren looked at Levi with determination.

"No. I'm not explaining it again, brat. It's a simple machine. If you want to learn so badly, then you can help prepare dinner tonight," Levi turned to Armin. "Did you at least understand everything?" Armin nodded. "Good. At least one of you brats is smart."

"Hey! I'm smart! I just got distracted is all," Eren said defensively.

"If you're so smart, then prepare dinner by yourself tonight," Levi retorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest, challenging Eren with his eyes. Eren could never resist a challenge.

"Fine. Just tell me what to make and how to make it," Eren accepted the challenge. He hoped he didn't burn Levi's lovely house to the ground.

Right as Levi was about to answer, there was a slam of the front door flying open.

"Levi!" Hanji bounded into the living with a man who had blond hair and piercing blue eyes trailing in behind her. Levi stepped out of the kitchen with the two creatures half hiding behind him.

"Shitty glasses. Eyebrows. Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Levi looked at the two intruders coldly.

"We're you're buddies Levi, we don't have to knock," Hanji answered. Levi only pinned her down with a glare. Eren shivered. He did not want to be on the receiving end of that deadly look, but it was quite an attractive look on Levi's face. Eren blushed lightly and pushed the thought out of his mind.

"What are you doing here, Glasses?" Levi asked impatiently.

"Well, you see, I've been doing a whole bunch of research on the markings on the nudey boys necks," Eren cringed at the permanent nickname Hanji had bestowed upon him and get found naked on a rock one time! "And I couldn't find a single thing about them and where they come from. So I brought our buddy Erwin over here to take a look at them and get his input on them." Hanji shoved the blond forward, Eren presumed this was the man name Erwin. Eren didn't like the look of him. He was tall and imposing and his sharp eyes seemed to see right through Eren. Almost as if he already knew all of his secrets. Eren hoped that that wasn't true.

Erwin spoke, his voice deep and commanding. "You two must be the specimens Hanji has been telling me about. My name is Erwin Smith." Eren glanced down at Armin. It seemed like he was just as intimidated by the strange man as Eren was, if not more so.

"Eren stepped forward around Levi when it was evident that Armin was frozen stiff.

"Eren Jaeger." Eren held out as he had been taught to do when greeting someone. Erwin took Eren's hand in his large one. His grip was firm and his hands were rough unlike Levi's hand. Levi's were firm but soft and well taken care of. Eren didn't like touching this strange man. Something about him made Eren tremble in fear. Like an instinct telling Eren to get far away from this man.

"If I may..." Erwin gestured to Eren's markings on his neck. Eren turned his head and reluctantly exposed his neck. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. Erwin leaned in close. Eren had to fight the urge to recoil when he felt the man's breath on his neck. "Interesting..." Erwin reached forward touched the markings briefly, feeling the rough patches of skin. Eren couldn't help but jerk away. The gill markings were sensitive enough as it was and having this man touch them scared the shit out of Eren. "They don't seem to be made of ink..." Erwin seemed unaffected by Eren's sudden retreat. "They look like they are part of his skin, like birth marks. But for both of you to have the exact same markings in the exact same spot, it wouldn't make sense to be birth marks. Not to mention their strange coloring. From an island, you two said?" Eren nodded shakily. Erwin put a finger to his lips in thought for a moment before speaking again. "Can I get some samples?" He pulled a small kit out of his pocket.

"That's enough, Erwin. You've terrorized the poor brats enough already." Eren felt a warm hand slide into his own and tug him back gently but firmly. Levi had grabbed Eren's hand and pulled Eren behind him protectively. Levi's hand slid out of Eren's, much to his disappointment, and Levi held out his arms to protect Eren and Armin from the approaching man.

"Come on, Levi. Just a teensy sample won't hurt," Hanji interjected. She went ignored.

"I haven't done anything terrorize them, yet." Erwin stated.

Levi rolled his eyes. "Look at them, Eyebrows. The blond coconut is scared stiff. You don't have to do anything. Your presence is terrifying enough."

Erwin stared Levi down. "I'm your boss. Do as I say and move aside so I can get a sample."

Levi glared daggers at Erwin. "You are only my boss while I'm at work. It's Saturday. This is my home where you decided to show up unannounced and uninvited. You can't just fucking waltz in here and terrorize my guests any time you damn well please. So I must politely ask you to please fuck off." Levi was damn near growling at the huge man. Levi seemed so small compared to Erwin, but Eren had no doubt the Levi could hold his own in a fight between the two. They stared each other down silently. Piercing blue against steely gray. Eren looked between the two men. He wondered who would pull away first. After a long tense moment Levi won. Erwin backed off a step.

"You're hiding something, Levi. Don't think I haven't noticed your changed behavior at work. You can't hide anything from me. I'll find out what it is that you are keeping secret. And I have a feeling these two are the key to unlocking whatever it is you're hiding..." Erwin threatened as he back off a couple more steps. Eren could see Levi's body tense up ever so slightly.

"Come on, Hanji. We can get samples another day." Erwin walked out the door, head held high despite his failure. Hanji followed. For once, she followed quietly. She must have known better than to make any comment during the tense moment.

The door closed and the three of them simultaneously let out a breath they hadn't known they had been holding.

"He was terrifying..." Armin spoke softly into the silence. Eren nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

Levi looked at the two sharply, making sure he had their full attention. "Avoid that man at all costs. Do not talk to him without me around. Understand? If anyone can tell what you two are, it's him. He's already caught wind that I'm hiding some important information from him, so we have to be extra careful if we ever see him again. And I'll have to be extra careful at work. I don't know if he truly meant what he said about me or if he was trying to play games. But I can't take any risks." Levi had started to talk to himself more than to them. Eren could see Levi's fear fully. It wasn't just a flicker of fear in his eyes this time. It was as clear as day shining on his cloudy eyes. Eren felt bad for causing Levi all of this fear. If it weren't for him and Armin, Levi wouldn't be in this dangerous situation. He suddenly lurched forward and pulled Levi into a hug, halting Levi's half ramblings. Eren heard Armin gasp in surprise. Levi had always pushed Eren away harshly when he tried to hug him playfully. However, this time Levi tensed in Eren's arms in surprise and then slowly wrapped his arms around Eren's waist uncertainly. Eren briefly wondered when the last time someone had hugged Levi like this. If he had to guess, it had been a long, long while. Eren layed his cheek on top of Levi's head and stroked his hair. Eren took a note on Levi's clean scent. It was a soothing scent of peppermint and something else. Something Eren could only describe as purely Levi.

Levi took a deep calming breath in Eren's chest. Eren blushed lightly as he felt Levi's warm exhale against him. Levi pulled away and kept his eyes down away from Eren's eyes. He guessed it was out of embarrassment for showing his so called weak side. Eren held back a chuckle at Levi's adorable embarrassment. "Thanks, brat." Levi spoke softly. Eren only smiled encouragingly and stayed silent, not wanting to embarrass the poor man further.

"Right. Okay." Eren could see Levi building his wall back up and pulling himself back together. It was quite a sight to see. "Alright, brat. Let's get back in the kitchen and teach you how to use the stove **again** while we make dinner." Levi pulled Eren by the hand once again, but this time to the kitchen. Armin curled back onto the couch with another book. Eren smiled again at the contact of Levi's soft hand in his own until he was released. Eren's thoughts drifted again to the imposing Erwin Smith. Would Levi be safe at work? Would they be able to remain hidden for two whole years with that man breathing down their necks? It had only been a month and already they were suspected. Eren's thoughts began to spiral until Levi smacked him in the head to pay close attention. Eren was grateful for the distraction from the imposing man for the time being. Now all he had to worry about was not burning the food and, more importantly, Levi's house.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello! :) I got really bored sitting in my dorm all weekend because my roomie is never here and I'm antisocial and never go anywhere so here I sit with my tea and music and an update. Also thanks so much for all of the kind reviews. They make me happy:)**

 **Levi's POV**

Levi could barely see a foot in front of him as rain pounded down on him as he ran through the night chasing after his target. The target this time was what Erwin had called a titan. It looked almost exactly like a male human without the reproductive organs. It's physique was extremely muscular and it had long ears and piercing green eyes. And, oh yeah, it was fucking 15 meters tall. How the hell this thing had remained hidden for so long was beyond Levi. Maybe it had remained hidden among the big ass trees of the mountains that laid to the east. They had been after it all day. This fucker was fast and brutal. They had to regroup four times today to come up with a new strategy. Hopefully this one will still work even in this rain.

Levi heard and felt a roar that ripped through the storm. It was a roar of pain. Had the beast finally hit the trap? Levi pushed through the downpour towards the roars of pain until he finally came upon the beast. Due to the night and rain, Levi hadn't seen the titan's leg coming for him. The titan had flailed out with his free leg and smacked into Levi. He got sent flying high into the air and he landed hard and rolled a few feet in the mud until he hit a tree. He tried to push himself up out of the mud but the pain his ribs on his right side and his right leg that he had landed on kept him down. With a grunt he rolled onto his back, letting the rain hit his face. His head was pounding with pain. Levi cursed loudly. He was pissed. He had never gotten beat down on a job. When did he get so careless? He laid their for a few minutes listening the roars of the monster die down. Erwin and the rest of the squad must have finally sedated it for the time being. There would be no telling how long the tranquilizers would last. They had to transport it back to the lab quickly before the damn monster woke up. He had to get back to the custom made truck before they left him.

Levi pushed himself up with his left arm, hissing through the pain of his broken ribs. He grimaced at the sight of his leg. It was bent completely the wrong direction. He grit his teeth and began the crawl through the mud with his good arm. With every move, Levi had to bite down a cry of pain. Finally, he could here the rumbling of the truck. Petra must have been able to convince everyone to wait for him. He could here his man being called faintly through the rain. It sounded like Gunther. The pain began to overwhelm Levi and his vision began to blur. Levi gave a shout to Gunther as his vision darkened and he fell back into the mud losing consciousness.

 **Eren's POV**

Eren startled awake, hitting his head on the coffee table. He hissed in pain and grabbed his head. Eren was sweating and his heart was racing. Rain was pounding on the roof of the small house like it had been when he fell asleep. He glanced at the clock. 3a.m. They had waited for Levi to get home as long as their bodies would let them so he'd only been asleep for around three hours. He laid back down on his makeshift pallet. What a horrifying dream. He had dreamed about Levi in the rain and being knocked into the mud by a terrifying beast. Eren had watched him crawl through mud, which Eren knew had to really disgust Levi, before passing out. It was so vivid and Eren couldn't stop thinking about it. He laid in the darkness, listening to Armin's quiet breathing for half an hour before he couldn't take it anymore. He had to go check. Levi had specifically told them not to disturb him during the night, but Eren had to see him.

Eren crept down the hall quietly, careful not to wake Armin who was a light sleeper. He pushed the bedroom door open slowly and peeked inside. Levi wasn't there. Eren flung the door open the rest of the way. The bed was definitely still made with no lump of Levi underneath. Eren ran to the bathroom that was connected to the room. No Levi. He ran to the closet. Still no Levi. Eren worked himself into a panic. Levi always made sure to tell them when he would have an abnormal schedule. The most he had been gone was three days. That was the reason for Levi teaching them how to use the stove two weeks ago. He didn't say anything about being this late. All he had said to them was that today he had a dangerous mission. Eren's blood ran cold. What if his dream hadn't really been a dream? He shot down the hall to wake up Armin.

"Armin! Wake up!" Eren shook the slumbering Armin's shoulder with unnecessary roughness.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Armin shot up, alert by the panic in Eren's voice. "What's going on?" Armin slurred, rubbing sleep from is eyes.

"Levi's missing," Eren told him.

"He's probably still out on his mission. He said it was a dangerous one, so he's probably just really late," Armin tried to reason. Eren shook his head and relayed his vivid dream to Armin.

"And I'm just really worried about him..." Eren ended.

"It's just a dream, Eren. Probably just from stressing about how Levi said it was a dangerous mission. Levi is top notch in what he does. He's fine." Armin tried reasoning with Eren, but Eren only grew angry.

"EXACTLY! When had he ever been this late? He always does his missions quickly and efficiently. Something had to have happened."

Armin sighed rolling his eyes at Eren's dramatic behavior. "Just call his cell phone if you're so worried." Eren huffed and stomped over to the phone and picked it up along with the the pad of paper next to it that had Levi's elegant handwriting scrawled on it. There were only two numbers listed on it. Levi's and Hanji's. Eren punched in Levi's number and held the phone to his ear.

 _Ring_

Eren's stomach began churning.

 _Ring_

Something wasn't right. He could feel it in his gut.

 _Ring_

Eren bounced from foot to foot anxiously

 _Rin-_

"Hello?"

Eren stood up straight and rigid. A woman's voice. Not Levi's. Eren's stomach burned. What was this feeling? Anger? No. It was something deeper. Jealousy? Why would he be jealous over a woman answering Levi's phone? Eren shook his head. Maybe he typed the number wrong.

"Hello?" The woman asked once more. Now that Eren thought about it, she sounded slightly upset.

"Oh! Uh h-hello! I was trying to get ahold of Levi. Did I get the wrong number?"

"No. This is his cell phone. My name is Petra. Levi is...unable to talk right now. May I ask who this is? All the I.D. said was 'home.'"

"This is Eren. One of the people who's living with Levi at the moment."

"Oh. Yes, Hanji mentioned people living with him. I didn't think it was true... You two might want to get to the hospital. Levi's been hurt on the job," Petra said quietly. Eren froze. He knew that dream had meant something more. "Do you have a way to get here?" She asked.

Eren shook his head until he realized she couldn't see him. "No, we don't. How did he get hurt?" Eren inquired

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Eren." Petra guarded. Of course. Levi wasn't technically supposed to be telling them about his job, so Petra wouldn't be giving them any information. "Someone will be there to pick you up in ten." Petra hung up quickly after she said this. Probably to prevent Eren from asking more questions. Eren stared at the phone for a moment before returning it to the receiver.

"Armin, get dressed. We're going to the hospital." He looked over to his friend. Armin looked a tad guilty for not believing Eren.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Eren," Armin spoke up.

"It's fine. Just get dressed." Eren drug Armin to Levi's room. Levi had let Eren and Armin share half his closet to keep their clothes. Armin looked at Eren thoughtfully as they changed clothes. Armin noticed his friend's frantic movements to get dressed and the fierce worry on his face.

"You care about him, don't you?" Armin asked softly as he pulled on a loose shirt.

"Of course I do. He's done a lot for us. Are you saying you don't?" Eren looked at Armin bewildered.

Armin shook his head. "I do care. But not in the same way you do. You like him a lot."

Eren turned away to hide the pink rising in his cheeks when he realized what Armin was getting at. "I don't know what you're talking about, Armin. Just hurry up."

"You do, Eren. I see the way you two look at each other and the way you two move. It's like you automatically sync up when the other enters the room. It's quite obvious."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Armin. Someone will be here soon. For the last time, hurry up." Eren slipped on his shoes and walked out of the bedroom. What the hell was that all about. Sure he cared for Levi. They were friends and they lived together. Armin was just imagining things. Eren began to think about what Armin said and thought back to moments where Levi and Eren had been caught in staring wars. Those didn't mean anything. They were just awkward moments anyone could have... The more Eren thought about it, the less he was able to convince himself that Armin was wrong.

A loud knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts. Eren rushed to pull it open without looking through the peep hole. He stumbled back. Why did it have to be him? Why not Hanji?

Erwin stood in the door way holding a black umbrella to keep off the pouring rain. The two looked at each other. They were sizing each other up. Erwin's eyes flicked briefly to the markings, but didn't say anything about them. He hadn't figured anything out yet had he? Eren shift uncomfortably.

"Are you two ready?" Erwin asked. Armin appeared behind Eren and squeaked a little when he saw who it was. Erwin looked them up and down, his blue piercing eyes seemingly glowed in the night. "Good you're both dressed. Come." Erwin gestured for the two to get under the large umbrella with him. Eren hesitated, but pulled Armin by the wrist to stand uncomfortably close to the imposing man. The walk to the car was silent. Erwin opened the back door to the large SUV. Armin got in first and slid to the other seat and Eren got in and closed the door. The drive was silent. The only noise was the pattering of rain the roof of the vehicle. Eren looked over at Armin to make sure he was alright. Armin had adjusted well to life as a human, but the one thing he couldn't handle well were cars. He already looked slightly green in the face. Eren was sure that the fact that Erwin being in the car only added to Armin's sickness.

The drive only last about seven minutes. As soon as the car was parked, Armin had jumped out and ran over to the bushes to empty his stomach. Eren walked over and patted his back. They were already drenched from the raging storm. Armin finished and they quickly made their way to the entrance where Erwin awaited them. Lightening struck overhead and a thunderous boom rattled the night sky. The flash across Erwin's face and the accompanying thunder made him seem like an ominous omen. Eren shook the thought from his head. He could only focus on one thing right now. Levi. Levi was here somewhere and he was injured.

They entered the waiting room. The cool air conditioning made Eren shiver in his wet clothes. There were only a few people in here this late at night/early in the morning. A married couple were sitting together in the back corner hugging each other, a woman with reddish blond hair and amber colored eyes, and a man sitting by himself with his head in his hands. Eren didn't like this place. There was so much sadness and anxiety. It did nothing to calm his nerves. The woman with the red/blond hair stood up upon their arrival and approached them.

"Sir! You just missed the doctor. Levi is stable but still unconscious. They think he will wake up within a few hours. He has six broken ribs, his leg was completely broken, a fractured clavicle, internal bruising, and a skull fracture. There was no sign of any damage to the brain." She said this all in almost one breath. "They said we should be able to go see him once visiting hours begin."

A lot of injuries, but not dead. Relief flooded through Eren. Levi was okay. Sort of. It could be worse.

"What time are visiting hours?" Eren asked, eager to see him.

"8 o'clock. You must be Eren. I'm Petra. We talked on the phone earlier." Eren took a closer look at the woman. She was short and pretty. Very feminine, but obviously strong. Her clothes had mud all over them. She must have been on the mission with Levi. Eren chanced a glance at Erwin. He was muddy as well. How many people went on this mission? Eren looked at the digital clock on the wall. 4:45a.m. Just over three hours until he could see Levi.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Armin. I also live with Levi." Armin stuck his hand out for Petra to take. They shook hands and Petra nodded. "Hello, Armin. I'd hate to ask you this, but could you two stick around here while we go home to refresh." She gestured to her muddy clothes. "Just in case something else happens?"

Eren nodded. "Yes, of course we'll stay."

Petra nodded as well. "Thank you. We'll be back around 11." She smiled kindly. It was a warm smile that reminded Eren of how his mother used to smile before his dad had started becoming distant. Petra walked out with Erwin silently following her. Armin curled up in an empty chair and snagged a magazine. Eren sat down beside him. He was nervous. What would Levi look like? He didn't know if he could stand to look at his close friend's beaten body.

Time ticked by slowly. His clothes could not dry fast enough. They were both shivering in their wet clothing. Eren had tried taking a nap, but he was too worried and cold to sleep. He pace the room for half an hour until Armin made him sit when he had begun to make the married couple nervous. So here he sat. His knee bouncing as watching the clock count down the minutes. The slow passing of time was driving Eren insane. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, 8 o'clock hit. A nurse walked in and looked at Eren and Armin in their somewhat damp clothing. "Are you two here for Mr. Ackerman?" Eren shot up out of his seat.

"Yes!" Eren answered. His stomach began tying into knots for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

"He in room 217. The elevator is over to the right. He's still unconscious, but you may visit him when you want until 10p.m." She walked away to tend to her duties. Eren hurried over to the elevators with Armin struggling to keep up with his long strides. He pushed the button and the elevator opened immediately. They stepped into the odd box. Armin surveyed the buttons on the side.

"She said 217, right? Maybe the second button?" Armin pressed the button next to the two. The doors closed and Eren got a weird feeling in his stomach as the ascended one floor. The doors opened and he hurried out of the weird box.

"217...217..." Eren muttered the room number to himself as he passed the doors with numbers on them. He halted in front of the door with the proper number on it. This was it. This was the room. The wooden door was closed and the curtain was drawn across the window next to it on the inside. Eren glanced down at Armin who gave him an encouraging smile. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, lovelies! I found a bit of time to work on this chapter. I'm not fully satisfied with it. I had to have rewritten this chapter about four times. I kept wanting to right different stuff but kept hitting road blocks. Also, the Snk game that just came out for steam...I quite like it I've already put soo many hours into it and almost forgot to do an assignment :/ Oh well, lol.**

 **Eren's POV**

Eren pushed open the door to reveal Levi's battered body laying on a stiff bed and covered with a thin white sheet that didn't look very warm. Eren stopped in the doorway and observed the barely recognizable body. Most of the injuries were on the right side of his body. There was a thick piece of gauze covering a deep stitched up cut that ran across his right cheek at a slight downward angle from right below his cheek bone to close to the corner of his pale lips. His right eye was still slightly swollen and had the beginning of a wicked black eye. He sported a large cast on his right leg and his right arm was stuck in a sling. These plus a a few minor bruises and cuts were all Eren could see for now. There was no telling how many other injuries Levi was sporting other than what Petra had informed him of.

Eren approached the bed, Armin quietly trailing behind him like a shadow. Eren took Levi's good hand in his own. His hand was freezing. It was almost like holding the hand of a corpse. If it wasn't for the tiny movements of Levi's chest, Eren would have thought he was dead. Eren gripped the hand a bit harder, grateful that that wasn't the case.

Armin took a seat on one of the two hard chairs in the room and got comfortable as best he could. There was no telling how long it would take Levi to wake up. Eren scooted the other chair to the bed and sat down. He grabbed the cold hand again and laid his head next to Levi's thigh. Exhaustion from the early morning and all of the worrying finally caught up to Eren and he fell into a slumber.

 **~3 hour time skip~**

 **Levi's POV**

Cold. Levi was suspended in a cold darkness. It felt like he was drowning in the darkness. Strangely, the only thing that felt warm was his left hand. It was that warmth that seemed to anchor him and kept him from drifting off further into this freezing darkness. A steady and faint beeping noise was the only thing that pierced the silence. Levi struggled to lift his left hand in front of him. Nothing happened. He tried harder. He managed a slight twitch.

"Levi?" a muffled voice reached his ears. It was a hoarse voice, but it was one he recognized. One he knew all too well. Levi fought hard to open his eyes. He could hear the voice speaking to him, encouraging him to wake up. He couldn't. His eyes remained shut, keeping him in the darkness.

"Come on, Levi. I-...We miss you. Wake up..." The voice sounded distraught, like the owner was about to break down. "I know we haven't known each other long, but I can't lose you, Levi. Please, wake up soon..." A warmth enveloped his body like someone was giving him a hug.

Using the warmth to pull him to the surface, Levi finally managed to open his eyes. At first his vision was blurry and he could only make out vague shapes and the blinding white lights. He took a few seconds to blink away the blurriness and finally looked down. There, holding his hand and laying across his body in an awkward hug, was a disheveled Eren. The poor brat's hair was greasy and even more messy than usual. His closed eyes held bags of weariness and rimmed red.

"You need a shower, smelly brat." Levi said, but his voice was rough and quiet from the lack of use. Eren's head shot up and those perfect colored eyes found Levi's.

"Levi! You're awake!?" Eren put his hands on Levi's face. Levi brushed his hands aside.

"Obviously. Now get off of me. You're hurting my ribs." Eren jumped away quickly

"Heh, sorry," Eren apologized and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "How are you feeling?"

"No bad considering I got fucking punted the length of a couple football fields." Levi looked down at the tube that was stuck into his arm. "Must be some damn good pain meds."

Eren's eyes widened. Just as Eren opened his mouth, Levi presumed to ask more questions, the door opened and in walked Armin carrying a cup of what smelled to be coffee and he was being trailed by Erwin and Petra. Armin's face looked slightly uncomfortable as he hurried inside and stood behind Eren as if using him as a shield against Erwin.

"I ran into these to when I was coming back from getting coffee." Armin explained when Eren had shot Armin a questioning look. Petra stepped fully into the room. She offered a kind smile to Eren and looked at Levi on the bed. Levi only stared back with his usual bored expression.

"How are you, Levi?" She asked as she sat on the edge of his bed. Levi sighed, he was already tired of this question. "Fine," He answered curtly. Petra put a hand on right above his leg cast in what he assumed was supposed to be a comforting gesture, but it was unwelcome. Levi shifted uncomfortably. "Take your hand off my leg." Levi ordered, his voice laced with irritation. He could have asked nicer, but he was hurt, irritated, and having none of this pity bullshit. Petra quickly withdrew her hand and folded it into her lap with her other hand and looked down. Levi caught a glimpse of hurt in her eyes, but it passed quickly as she stood back up from the bed and stood back next to Erwin.

"You won't be fit to work for a while, Levi." Erwin stated, getting right down to business.

Levi nodded. "I'll return when I'm fit enough to come back. I'll keep you updated." Levi's voice was still slightly hoarse. Erwin nodded and looked up at Eren who was standing silently beside the bed. Levi tensed up when he saw Erwin's eyes flick down to Eren's neck quickly. "Take care of him." Eren gave a curt nod but stayed quiet.

"Oi! I don't need to be taken care of, Eyebrows." Levi glared daggers at the tall man.

"Levi...You can't even walk right now." Eren chuckled and grinned down at him.

"Just you wait till I have full use of this leg, brat." Levi turned his glare up at Eren, but it soften at the child like playfulness that was held in those ocean color eyes.

"I need to get back to work." Erwin said stiffly as he turned on his heel and walked back the way he came.

"I carpooled with Erwin, so I'd better go. I hope you get better fast, Levi!" Petra smiled warmly at the three of them and followed Erwin.

"Good riddance," Levi sighed, closed his eyes, and settled into the lumpy pillows.

"Do you want us to leave?" Armin spoke up after a moment of silence.

Levi cracked open his good eye and looked at Armin before closing it again. "If you stay, keep quiet. I'm tired and I'm going to sleep."

He heard Armin's footsteps walk towards the door. "C'mon, Eren. We've been here long enough."

"I'll be right there. Wait outside for me." Levi opened his eyes. He could see the two having a silent conversation. Armin rolled his eyes and walked out the door and down the hall.

"What do you want, brat?" Levi looked up at Eren inquisitively.

"What happened?" Eren demanded. Levi sighed. "Erwin called it a titan. It a disgusting humanoid piece of shit that eats people. I got too close and it sent me flying. That's all I care to say about it."

Eren frowned. "That sounds horrifying." Levi nodded and he felt his eyes begin to sag. He gave in and closed them. "I don't think I can stay awake any longer. Don't keep Armin waiting." He didn't hear footsteps yet and he was beginning to wonder what the brat was doing when he felt a pair of warm lips on his left temple. That woke him up. Levi's eyes flew open, but he didn't dare move his head to look. He knew he'd end up face to face with Eren's soul capturing eyes.

"Feel better soon." The lips murmured against the kissed skin before Eren pulled back and hurried out, no doubt blushing at his sudden boldness.

What the hell was that? Levi touched the tingling spot. He didn't know what to think so he closed his eyes and tried to forget, but he could still feel the lips on his head before drifting off.

 **Eren's POV**

Shit. Why'd I do that? He couldn't help it. Levi just looked so peaceful laying there and before he knew it he was kissing Levi's head. Eren was blushing bright red the entire ride down the lift. He hoped Levi didn't think too much of it.

Eren was so wrapped up in his thoughts he nearly bumped into Armin.

"Oh, sorry, Armin." Eren attempted to push his thoughts away and focus on Armin.

"It's fine. Are you alright? You look a bit pink." Armin was looking at him concerned.

"I'm fine. It's hot out here isn't it?" Eren blabbed and chuckled nervously. Armin didn't look fully convinced.

"I think I remember the way we took when Erwin drove us last night." Armin began walking down the street. Eren followed, thankful for the distraction. They walked for about ten minutes before they came upon the small diner that Levi had taken them the first day here. Except this time there was a big red sign in the window that read "Help Wanted."

"Say Eren..." Armin began, looking the bright sign."Levi won't be able to work for a while. That means he has no way to make money, right?" Eren thought about it for a second then nodded. "Well, why don't we get jobs? It's the least we could do after he's helped us out so much. And it would get us out of the house. Plus we get to know humans better the more we interact with different people...

"I think that's a great idea, Armin." Eren smiled and went to open the door to the diner. "Maybe we can get lucky here."

They walked in and they were immediately greeted by the girl who had been their waitress last time. Her name tag reminded Eren that her name was Sasha.

"Hello! Table for two?" She held up two fingers. Armin shook his head.

"We noticed the help wanted sign outside. We were hoping to get jobs." Sasha's smile widened.

"We just had two people up and quit on us. A cook and a server. Are either of you good at cooking?"

Eren spoke up before Armin could be modest. "He's a decent cook and he learns super quick." Eren pointed to Armin who shook his head in denial.

Sasha smiled. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go get my manager and he can interview you guys." She walked off and pushed her way through a swinging door blindly. They heard a crash of plates Sasha loudly apologizing. "Sorry, Connie!" Eren raised his eyebrow amused. A few minutes later a man slightly taller than Eren and sporting a white bandanna on his head walks out. He approached Eren and Armin with a smile and stuck out his hand. "Dita Ness, at your service." Eren shook his hand "Eren Jaeger." Armin followed suit. Dita lead them to a table and pulled out a chair. "Well, boys. Let's have a seat. We have a lot to talk about."

After multiple questions, much nervousness, and some paper work that they struggled through, it was settled. Eren would start training tomorrow around noon with Sasha and Armin would be training tomorrow with someone named Jean. Eren stepped out of the diner happy. He couldn't wait to tell Levi. They finished their short walk home. Eren plopped face down on the couch. What an eventful day. He began playing the day over in his head. He remembered seeing Levi's broken body for the first time, the jealousy that burned deep in his gut when Petra touched Levi, and the kiss. He shoved his face deeper into the cushion as he face lit up. He still didn't know why he did that...A brief thought entered his head. To prove Levi belonged to him and not Petra? Nope. No no no. He didn't think that. Eren sighed in frustration. Maybe Levi has already forgotten about it. Fuck, he was so embarrassed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Welcome back, everyone! I had a really weird spike in views this week. Normally it's high the day I update then it goes down, but it spiked again after almost a week of being updated. It was strange, but I'm not complaining.**

 **I know it has been a while wince the last update but I write when I can. I haven't forgotten this story and all you loyal readers. Speaking of you guys, you make me so happy with your reviews. I tend to be very hard on my self, especially when it comes to creating stuff. I always think my ideas are stupid and that I'm not very good at what I do. But then comes along a random review telling me that they enjoy my work and it really does help me out a lot. So, thank you guys. So much. Sorry the little speel, I just wanted to let you guys know how much I really do appreciate you. Also, the new minor character isn't from SnK. She's just a random character**

 **Levi's POV**

When Levi woke up, the sun was barely peeking out above the mountains in the horizon. The soft pinks and yellows poured in through the cracks in curtains right onto Levi's face. Levi sighed in irritation at the light and turned his face away from the window. He felt like shit today. Yesterday, the drugs had done one hell of a job to mute the pain. Today, however, he could feel everything. All of his muscles ached with soreness, his ribs felt like they were stabbing him with every shallow breath he took, and his head was pounding furiously. And to top everything off, his stomach was growling loudly from hunger. When had been the last time he had eaten anything? Levi couldn't remember.

He pushed the call button on the left side of his bed and waited. Before long, a nurse bustled into the room. She seemed to be Levi's height had he been able to stand. She had a young face that was framed with two long locks of hair with the rest of her long hair pulled into a high pony tail. She looked at him with warm chocolate colored eyes, genuine concern reflecting in them.

"What can I do for you, sweetie?" The nurse offered with a small friendly smile. Before Levi could answer her, his stomach betrayed him with a loud rumble. He laid his good hand on his stomach as if to muffle the sound. The nurse chuckled quietly. "Well then, I guess that answers my question. I'll be right back." She turned on her heel and left the room. It didn't take long for her to return with a tray that had bowl that looked to be full of warm broth, a spoon, and a cup with juice on it. She set it down on the movable table that was attached to the bed.

"There you are. Do you need any help?" She offered after she stepped back.

"No. Thank you." Levi lifted his hand, grabbed the spoon, and put it in the soup. Dammit. The pain was making his hand shake too much to be able to left it to his mouth without making a mess everywhere. The nurse seemed to notice and took the spoon from him, pulled up a chair, and took the bowl in her other hand.

"Tch. I don't need help. I'm sure you have others to take care of," Levi said a little harshly.

The nurse shook her head, her ponytail swinging from side to side. "Hardly any of our patients are up this early. I have a little bit of time to help you." Levi looked at her with a defiant glint in his eye. She sighed. "If you don't let people help you, it's going to take more time to recover than necessary. Now, you look like a smart man. Do you want to do everything by yourself and take double the time to heal?" She paused. "I didn't think so. Now, let me help you." She pushed the filled spoon towards his mouth and Levi accepted the warm broth. Levi surveyed her as she fed him. She seemed like the type of woman who was genuinely kind and cared for others but was also stern and wouldn't take no for an answer. As she shifted the bowl in her left hand, he caught the glittering of an engagement ring on her ring finger. Might as well cut this embarrassing situation up with some talking.

"You're engaged?" He nodded towards the ring. The nurse smiled, a loving look coming across her face as she thought of her fiance.

"Yeah. I've had this for a month now." Levi accepted another spoonful before speaking again.

"He's a lucky man, you seem to be a very caring person." Levi said quietly, would he ever find someone that looked at him with that same loving face the nurse held on hers? Levi didn't think so.

She laughed out loud, putting the spoon in the bowl and covering her mouth, muffling the sound. Levi jumped slightly at the sudden sound and looked at the nurse, confused. Had he said something funny?

The nurse smiled at him affectionately. "I'm sorry I laughed. There's no way you could have known. I know I don't really look like the lesbian stereotype." It took a small second before it clicked in his brain of what she said.

"Oh! My apologies.." Levi muttered.

"It's alright." she replied

"Don't you get a lot of shit for being engaged to another woman?" Levi inquired.

"Oh, yes. All the time." She replied, her smile fading a little.

"Then, why don't you just say you're with a man? Wouldn't that be easier?" She looked at him in disbelief.

"Because I'm proud of who I am. I refuse to be ashamed of her. I love her and she loves me and there's nothing anyone can say they can make us feel any different about each other. I thought you should have already known the answer to that. Do you tell people you're dating a woman?" Levi looked at her confused.

"What the hell are you talking about?" What was she getting at?

"That guy with the brown hair, dreamy eyes, and blue tattoos that was here yesterday. Isn't he your boyfriend? I figured he was because of the way you looked at one another and I thought I saw him kiss you before he left." She looked as confused as Levi felt. Was she talking about Eren? Of course she was. He was the only one would had kissed him yesterday. But it was only on the forehead. Wasn't it just an overly affectionate gesture between close friends?

"H-he isn't my boyfriend." Levi finally answered.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just assumed. It looks like we're both really good at assuming wrong things, heh." She smiled sheepishly and Levi nodded silently. She stood up with the empty bowl and put the chair back where she got it from.

"Well, Levi, I have to go check on some other patients now. If you need anything, or you just need someone to talk to just call for me. My name is Maria." With that said, she went to open the door, but was knocked back by someone else opening the door.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Eren apologized to the nurse. She just smiled her usual smile and accepted the apology. She side stepped around him and vanished.

"Hi, Levi!" Eren approached the bed. Levi nodded in acknowledgment and nodded to Armin as Armin also greeted him.

"So, guess what." Eren was smiling from ear to ear. Armin rolled his eyes at Eren's enthusiasm. Levi didn't feel like playing this game. His head was starting to pound again. So he stayed silent, looking at Eren expectantly.

"We got jobs." Armin piped up when he got tired of the silence.

"Why?" Levi asked immediately. They didn't need jobs. His job payed him more than enough that he had plenty in his savings.

"Well..." Eren started. "You won't be able to work for a while so you won't be getting paid and you've done so much for me and Armin that this is the least we could do to repay some of our debt to you." Levi was touched. He wouldn't show it, but the fact that these two cared enough about Levi to get a job despite knowing nothing about how the surface world worked was quite touching.

"Tch. You two didn't need to get jobs. I have enough saved up." Levi told them. "How did you two brats get jobs so quickly, anyway?"

It was Armin's turn to speak up. "We passed by that diner place you took us to our first day here and they had a help wanted sign hanging in their window. We went in, talked to some people, signed some papers, and we start today around noon." Levi looked at the clock. It was only 8:20. Leave it to the brats to get here as soon as visiting hours started. Eren sat on the edge of the bed and Levi shifted to sit up a little more but pain shot through his body and he let out an involuntary hiss.

"Are you okay?" Eren was looking at him worriedly.

"I'm fine. I think the pain medication ran out is all. I'm okay." Levi grit his teeth as he his muscles throbbed along with his head. Levi closed his eyes trying to will away the pain.

"I'm going to go look for a nurse." Armin said and walked out without waiting for a response. After a moment of silence Levi spoke up.

"You two really didn't need to get jobs. What if something happens? We already have Erwin breathing down our necks, waiting for us to slip up. You do realize this don't you? I really don't need help when it comes to money." Levi opened his eyes to look at Eren. Eren smiled at him as a strange looked crossed his face. Not unlike the look the nurse had gotten when Levi had mentioned the ring on her finger. All this pain must be making him see things.

He felt a hand on top of his own. "Levi, we'll be fine. Let us help you. Please. It would make me feel so much better if you did." Levi looked at their hands in silence. Eren's warm sun kissed hand was laying on top of his cold pale one. The contrast was shocking. He looked back up to Eren. Levi's eyes momentarily flicked down to Eren's lips, remembering the innocent kiss they had given him yesterday. Levi's temple tingled at the memory.

His thoughts were interrupted with Armin coming back with Maria. She looked between him and Eren. Her eyes flicked down to their hands for a split second before giving Levi a look as if to say _'not your boyfriend, huh?'_

"You should have told me you were in pain when I was in here earlier." Eren stood up and moved away so she could bustle around Levi. "There. I didn't give you too much. It should kick in in a few minutes." She looked at Eren and Armin. "You two keep a close eye on this one. Make sure he isn't trying to do everything by himself. Got it?" The two nodded and she disappeared.

"I like her," Eren spoke up after the whirlwind of a woman was gone. Levi nodded his head.

The three of them chatted about nothing in particular. Well, Armin and Eren chatted and goofed off and Levi watched. He would never admit it, but he was glad they were here. This hospital was boring as hell. He couldn't wait to get out of here. The doctors had told him that he could leave in a couple days, given nothing came up. But he would have to take it extremely slow for a couple weeks.

When 11 o'clock hit, Armin stood up. "C'mon, Eren. We need to get going."

Eren looked up at Armin from a his spot next to Levi's bed with puppy eyes. "But we don't have to be there until noon. Why are we leaving so early?"

"It's better to be early than late. Come on. Bye, Levi! See you tomorrow." Armin said from the doorway before walking out with a wave of his hand." Levi looked at Eren.

"Can I ask you something before you leave?" He could see Eren tense up. It seemed Eren knew what Levi was going to ask and was preparing for a verbal lashing.

"Why did you kiss me yesterday?" Levi watched as blood creeped onto Eren's face. It was amusing to watch the brat's face turn red.

"O-oh. I-I don't know. I...just did. Y-you know. Spur of the moment type t-thing. Heh. I'm sorry. Won't happen a-again." Eren stuttered out. "W-well, I gotta go." Eren quickly stood up to leave but Levi caught his wrist, making Eren to look down at him questioningly. Levi got a good look at Eren's ocean colored eyes, drowning in them once again.

"Come here, brat." Levi tugged Eren's arm, forcing Eren to lean over him. Eren's face was red enough to make a tomato jealous. The corner of Levi's mouth jerked up in amusement. Levi moved his good arm from Eren's wrist to the back of his neck and pulled Eren down so Levi could press his own lips to Eren's warm forehead. After the small touch, he released Eren.

"Go on, brat. You're going to be late." Eren was touching the spot on his forehead and looking at Levi with big eyes.

"Y-yeah. Um...Yeah. I'll be back tomorrow... Bye, Levi." Levi watched as Eren walked out slowly with a dazed look on his face. A face poked in a minute after Eren took his leave.

"Not boyfriends, huh?" Maria smirked at him playfully.

Levi's pale cheeks turned pink. "Shut up." The nurse giggled and left Levi alone. Levi sigh and settled into the pillows. He noticed briefly before sleep overtook him that he no longer felt like complete shit.


	12. Chapter 12

**This would have been out sooner, but stupid me didn't save my work and my computer randomly shut off and lost half of what I had written. I got frustrated and just left it for a few days. Also, I got slammed with work because I'm a Theatre major doing wardrobe for a production and we're getting into dress rehearsals as the show opens in a little over a week. I've also been burying myself in research for a film that I want to make. So I got a lot going on right now, but don't worry, I haven't abandoned my work. I'm just going to need a little time.**

 **Eren's POV**

"Did you get all of that?" Eren jerked when Sasha asked if he understood everything that she had just said. Shit. He'd been completely zoned out, thinking about the small kiss Levi had given him. Sasha sighed as his dumbfounded expression answered the question for her. "You need to pay attention if you wanna keep this job. Here, just watch what I do." She said as a man and a woman came in together and picked a table next to the window that overlooked the ocean. He followed Sasha like a lost puppy over to the table and watched her intently.

"Hi, there! Can I get you guys started with some drinks?" The two simply ordered waters which him and Sasha retrieved. After many questions about the menu, the couple finally ordered. Sasha walked briskly, with Eren trailing behind, over to the kitchen window and handed off the order. Eren caught a glimpse of Armin on the other side as the man with the weird hair and long face took the order. Eren remembers his name being Jean. Eren felt sorry for Armin having to train with that guy. The minute Eren had laid eyes on him, he could tell the man was nothing but an arrogant asshole. However, Armin had been smiling when they handed off the order, so maybe he wasn't all that bad. Soon enough, the order was ready and Eren observed Sasha as she balanced the plates on the round tray and took it to the table.

"See? It's simple." Sasha said as they walked away.

"I guess so. But I don't know if I can answer all those questions." Eren had been impressed as Sasha effortlessly answered all of the guests questions.

"That's why I'm going to give you some homework . I want you to take one of these menus home with you and study it. I want you to know every single little thing on it by...Let's say Friday." Sasha challenged him with her eyes. Eren could never back down from a challenge so he nodded with a determined look on his face. That gave him four days to learn the menu. That would be more than enough time.

The bell on the front door rang out signaling some more people coming in. Eren looked up and froze. The people that had just come in were Hanji, Petra, a couple people he didn't recognize, and Erwin. Fuck. What were they doing here? Shouldn't they be working or something?

"Eren!" Hanji was quick to spot him and immediately latched on to him.

"H-Hanji! What are you doing here?" Eren gave her a pat on the back so she would let him go.

"There wasn't much to do today, so Erwin suggested leaving early and he would buy us some lunch," Hanji said loudly, disturbing the couple by the window.

"You know these people, Eren?" Sasha stepped up beside him.

"I know three of them," Eren admitted.

Petra chuckled and introduced the others. "This is Oruo, Eld, Gunther, and Mike." She gestured to them with their respective names. "Guys, this is one of Levi's housemates, Eren. Where's Armin? After meeting you two, I got the sense I would never see on without the other," Petra finished.

"He's in the back," Eren said and jerked a thumb towards the kitchen window.

"Well, since you know these people, this would be a perfect opportunity to let you take orders." Sasha patted him on the back and smiled.

"Woohoo!" Hanji stabbed a fist in the air, oddly excited about Eren serving them. As Eren gave her a weird look he heard sniffing near his ear.

"H-hey!" Eren jumped back to see who was sniffing him. Mike leaned back up and nodded his head, smirking.

"You smell like the ocean." Mike stated. Eren noticed Erwin was staring at his gill markings intensely like he was so close to figuring them out. Eren shivered at the thought.

"A-alright guys, go ahead and find a seat and I'll start with your drink orders." Eren attempt to distract them. It worked as the group pushed a couple of tables together in the middle of the diner and got settled. Eren and Sasha gathered their requested drinks and passed them out. Sasha set the glasses down cleanly while Eren may have slopped a little soda onto the table when he set Hanji's down.

"Are you guys ready to order?" Eren asked, copying Sasha's polite smile and friendly tone from when she waited on the earlier couple. The group ordered one by one, thankfully not asking any menu questions. They all obviously knew the menu like the back of their hand. Eren scribbled down what they said on the notepad Sasha had provided him and went back to the kitchen window.

"Hey! Hey, Armin!" Eren loudly whispered, successfully getting the blond's attention.

Armin had to stand on his tip toes to look out the window at Eren.

"What's up, Eren?" He asked.

"Look who's here." Eren gestured over his shoulder at the group, who was being distracted by Hanji babbling about something excitedly. Armin looked over and his eyes widened slightly in surprise. Erwin chose that moment to look at the two and Armin ducked his head back down where all you could see was the top of his head.

"Be careful, Eren. Remember what Levi said about him. If anyone were to figure it out, it's Erwin. Try not to talk to him much." Eren nodded in agreement. He glanced back over his shoulder at the group. Erwin's piercing eyes was still on him.

"Eren! Hey, Eren!" Hanji was waving her arms frantically to get his attention. He glanced at Sasha and she nodded that he could go over. She walked off to check on the couple by the window. Eren made his way over to the table.

"Did you need something?" Eren asked politely, keeping himself professional.

"Oh I just wanted to know how Levi was doing." She smiled up at him. "I haven't been able to visit him since he got punt-"

"Hanji..." Erwin's voice growled out, warning that she needed to watch what she was saying. She faltered before correcting herself.

"Since the accident."

"Oh, uhh...He's doing fine. A little beaten up, but he's alive at least." The subject of Levi made his forehead tingle as the memory of Levi's kiss haunted him again. He'd really have to talk to Levi about it. The thought of talking to Levi about it made his heart flutter. He couldn't explain it very well, but every time he was around the older man, his chest felt tight, his stomach was turning flips, and he found himself blushing every couple minutes. He had never had these strange sensations before. Was it a human thing? If so, he wanted to go back to the ocean now. The feeling was too unsettling and since he lived with the man, the sensations were there constantly.

"That's great!" She turned to the group, "Hey! Can we visit him after this? I want to talk to him about..." Hanji shot Eren a sideways glance. "some stuff."

Petra nodded happily. "I want to go too! I know it's only been a couple days, but I've missed having him around." An unexpected flame of jealousy washed through Eren as he thought of the last time Petra had been with Levi, her hand put on his leg in supposed comfort.

"Tch! I don't see why, Petra. Haven't I been enough comp-Ack!" Oruo began saying, but he bit his tongue. No one except Eren had flinched.

"Are you okay!?" Eren asked worriedly.

"He's fine." Eld spoke up. "He does this all the time. That's what you get for trying to act like Levi, Oruo!" Oruo simply whimpered in pain with his hand covering his mouth.

"Eren!" Thankfully Eren was called away by Sasha to help bring their food out. The tray was heavier than Eren thought it would be, but he managed to get the food to the table without dropping any of it.

 _-Time skip because I'm lazy :-D-_

Once ten o'clock hit, the boys were released to trudge home wearily. After Levi's coworkers had left, the diner had became slammed with guests. Eren had done his best to help Sasha with the tables, but with his lack of knowledge he became more of a hinderance for her. She didn't complain though and she helped him with a smile.

The two of them were talking about their day while walking. "and then Jean-" Armin abruptly stopped talking, his head perking up. Eren, who had been half paying attention, looked at his friend worriedly. Armin came to a halt and looked around him. What the hell was his friend doing? After standing there in silence for a minute Eren spoke up. "Armin wha-"

"Shh..." Armin put a finger to his lips and whispered. "Keep walking, stay quiet, and listen." The two boys stayed quiet and began walking briskly. That's when Eren figured out what Armin was talking about. Footsteps. They sounded like they were off the left, just off the sidewalk in the shadows. Eren freaked out and walked faster, Armin half jogged to keep up with Eren's long strides. The footsteps kept up with them, actually, they sounded closer. Eren could tell there were two sets of footsteps besides theirs. They were got to the part of their walk where they had to turn off the main road into a neighborhood with less light. Just as Eren was about to make a run for it, a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. He noticed Armin had been grabbed around the neck with a large pocket knife held to his neck. The two big men dressed in black with hoods shrouding their faces. The one who had swung Eren around was pointing a gun at Eren's chest. Eren's blood ran cold and he began shaking slightly.  
"Gimme your money!" The man demanded. Eren noticed the small shake in the man's voice. The man wasn't nearly as confident as he looked.

"We don't have any money." Eren held his hands up as the man pressed the gun fully to his chest.

"Bullshit. Turn out your pockets." Eren did as he was asked. The only thing he pulled out was his house key. The man turned his head to his partner. "Check that one's pockets." The man kept the knife to Armin's neck, accidentally nicking him as he checked his pockets. Armin whimpered slightly. At the sight of the small trickle of blood running down Armin's neck, Eren snapped. Adrenalin pumped through his body. He shoved the hand with the gun away and he heard the gun click as the man instinctively pulled the trigger. Eren didn't know much about guns, but he was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to do that. From what he had seen on the television, there was supposed to be a bang. Eren punched the man in the nose. Without hesitation, he turned, pulled on Armin's attacker's arm to prevent him from harming Armin and punched him in the jaw, knocking him out. Armin wiggled out, but he the first man had recuperated and pulled Armin to him with his arm squeezing around his neck.

"Another move and the girl gets it." Wait. Girl? Eren couldn't help but give a short laugh. Armin simply huffed in annoyance, despite his situation. Eren took a small step foreward but stopped when he saw the man squeezed tighter.

"Let him go." Eren demanded.

"Him?" the man was distracted for a moment and Eren was going to use this opportunity to attack, but there was a thud from behind the man before he collapsed and Armin slipped out of his grip. When the man collapsed, Jean was revealed behind him with his fists still raise.

"Jean!" Armin yelled out. Jean looked over to them. Armin bounded forward and hugged him around the middle.

"Take it easy, Armin. Don't squeeze me to death." Armin stepped back and smiled at him. "What happened here?" Jean asked, observing the two bodies. Armin began to rattle off everything that had happened. Before asking what Jean was doing here.

"Well, I finished clean up after you two left and I live over here in this neighborhood and saw you being held by that guy, so I snuck up on him when he was talking to Eren." He glanced at the men on the ground again. "We should move before they wake up." The group began walking down the road quickly. Armin and Jean were walking ahead of Eren. Eren observed the two talking. He noted the way Armin's eyes would shine when he talked to Jean and the way Jean would slightly lean in Armin's direction on occasion. He'd have to ask Armin about Jean. The two seemed way too friendly towards one another for having only worked one day together.

Jean ended up walking them all the way home, having claimed to just live right up the road. Bidding Jean thanks and goodbye, Eren scurried inside, leaving Armin alone to say goodbye. Eren raced to the window and peeked out. He could see the two outside talking when he saw Jean blush, look down, and rub the back of his neck anxiously while saying something. Armin brought his hands up to his mouth surprised and turning pink. Armin nodded and smiled which in turn made Jean look up and smile widely. The two talked for a couple of seconds before Jean left with a wave of his hand. Armin began walking inside and Eren dove onto the couch and acted like he wasn't spying.

"You know I saw you, right?" Armin looked at him, trying to glare, but he was too giddy and couldn't stop smiling.

"Dammit!" Eren flopped back on the couch. "What did he say?"

"He...uh...He asked me on a date." Armin smiled widely.

"Already? You've only known him for a day." Armin only shrugged.

"You're just jealous that I have a date and you're still stuck just ogling Levi." Armin shot back while walking towards the bathroom to take a shower.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Eren yelled back at him. He only got a laugh as an answer. Eren huffed and buried his face in the pillow. What was Armin talking about? The more he thought about it, the more it became clear. The weird sensations he got around Levi made more sense. The kiss he had given Levi made more sense. Eren thought about Levi more. His sharp eyes, his straight nose, his kissable looking lips, his sarcastic attitude, the way he cared about him and Armin. Eren's heart began fluttering as he thought of Levi. Eren shot up on the couch as he realized it. Eren was falling for Levi.


End file.
